Thelma Sigurhansdottir, also known as Thelma Gella, is an Icelandic painter based in New York. Her work explores psychological tension through figurative imagery, depicting fragmented bodies and gestures that reflect the instability of contemporary identity.
Her work has been exhibited across New York City at venues including Satellite Gallery, Bushwick Gallery, AM:PM Gallery, and the Staten Island Museum, as well as at the Medici Museum of Art in Ohio and internationally in Iceland and Denmark.
She received her B.A. in Studio Art from The City College of New York in 2025. In 2026, she was selected for the Studio Winter Residency at Bushwick Gallery in Brooklyn, where she developed a new body of work.
Alongside her studio practice, she works in sculptural fabrication for one of New York’s leading contemporary artists. She currently lives and works in Brooklyn, where she continues to develop a new painting series that examines the body and identity within contemporary digital and social environments.
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2025 Búsvæði, Listhús Ófeigs, Reykjavík, Iceland
Habitat, Art Lab Gallery, Staten Island Museum, Staten Island, NY
- Artist Talk presented in conjunction with exhibition.
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2026 Monument, Incubator Studio Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
The Unseen, Antidote Studios, Brooklyn, NY
Aura, AM:PM Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
We lose something every day, Bushwick Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
Made at CCNY, The Bernard and Anne Spitzer School of Architecture, New York, NY
Pop-up exhibition, The Valentine's Museum, New York, NY
2025 Að missa list á aðfangadagskvöld, Herma, Reykjavík, Iceland
Von, Phenomenon Gallery, Reykjavík, Iceland
PS. Piece of Art, Satellite Gallery, New York, NY
Intersecting Realms, Trygve Lie Gallery, New York, NY
Zodiac: The Mysterious Power of the Creative, Medici Museum of Art, Warren, OH
True North, NY Estonian House, New York, NY
Women Make Art 2025, Cohen Library Archives Gallery, New York, NY
2023 Annual Student Exhibition, Compton-Goethals Art Gallery, New York, NY
Lokahátíð Skapandi sumarstarfa, Molinn, Kópavogur, Iceland
2019 Vinterudstilling, Krabbesholm Højskole, MOS houses, Skive, Denmark
Vanessa: Elevudstilling, Fabrikken for Kunst & Design, Copenhagen, Denmark
RESIDENCIES
2026 Studio Winter Residency, Bushwick Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
CURATORIAL PROJECTS
2026 The Unseen, Antidote Studios, Brooklyn, NY
2025 True North, NY Estonian House, New York, NY
2026 Morgunblaðið. “Stærsta málverk sem ég hafði nokkurn tímann gert.” March 12, 2026.
Bushwick Gallery. “Studio Winter 2026.” Winter Studio Residency at Bushwick Gallery.
2025 Morgunblaðið. “Ónáttúruleg og draumkennd inngrip.” July 9, 2025.
Eiríkur Jónsson. “Thelma Gella í Listhúsi Ófeigs.” July 6, 2025.
The Northern Voices. “Thelma Sigurhansdottir: Visual Storytelling from Iceland to New York.”
The Northern Voices. “Bridging the Gap Between the Human and the Cosmos.”
2023 City of Kópavogur. “Vegglistasumar í Kópavogi.”
Vísir. “Settist í sófann hjá Jimmy Fallon: ‘Þetta fer algjörlega í minningabankann’.”
SELECTED PRESS
HONORS & AWARDS
2025 Dean's Prize in Art, The City College of New York
The Connor Merit Award, 1st Place, Undergraduate Studio Art
2023 The Connor Merit Award, 3rd Place, Undergraduate Studio Art
EDUCATION
The City College of New York (CUNY), New York, NY
B.A., Studio Art, 2025
GPA: 3.90
Menntskólinn við Hamrahlíð, Reykjavík, Iceland
Multidisciplinary Studies (Sociology & English emphasis), 2019
CERTIFICATIONS & ADDITIONAL STUDIES
School of Visual Arts, New York, NY
Continuing Education: Silkscreen, 2026
Krabbesholm Højskole, Skive, Denmark
Concentration in Visual Art, 2019
EXPERIENCE
Carole A. Feuerman Studio, New York, NY
Sculptural Fabrication Assistant | 2023 – PRESENT
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Fabricate hyperrealist figurative sculptures through mold-making and casting processes.
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Execute surface finishing, chasing, and preparation for painting and final installation.
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Support production of large-scale sculptural works for exhibition and installation.
Ron Shipmon LLC, New York, NY
Social Media & Content Strategist | 2024
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Developed and implemented content strategy for art advisory practice.
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Produced and edited visual media to expand digital audience engagement.
City of Kópavogur, Iceland
Commissioned Mural Artist | 2022 – 2023
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Designed and executed public mural commissions.
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Collaborated with municipal partners to develop site-responsive works.