Memorial to the women's rights movement to rise in Hljómskálagarðurinn

Ritstjórn
Marchers carried Venus once again on May 1 during last year's Women's Year in 2025 — this time leading the procession. Photo: Jón Gautur Hannesson. Jón Gautur Hannesson.
Women march with the Venus statue on May 1 during the 2025 Women's Year. Photographed from the front on Laugavegur, the women carry the statue.

A memorial honoring the women's rights movement will be erected in Hljómskálagarðurinn. This monument will strengthen Reykjavík City's identity as a city of equality, honoring the legacy of the Red Stockings movement and women's enduring struggle for equal rights, social justice, and equity.

The project will be developed in collaboration with the representative council of the Reykjavík labor movement, following a letter of intent signed last October. Designed by visual artist Eva Ísleifs, the piece recreates the Venus — also known as the Reconciliation — originally crafted by Jón Benediktsson for Messíana Tómasdóttir's set design in the 1970 production of Lysistrata, directed by Brynja Benediktsdóttir. The statue was borrowed on May 1, 1970, when women in red stockings decided to join the labor movement's protest march in Reykjavík — an event that marked the beginning of the Red Stocking Movement.

Planned for the eastern edge of Hljómskálagarðurinn, the artwork will stand just over two meters tall. A Reykjavík City team featuring representatives from the Reykjavík Art Museum, the Department of Environment & Planning, and the Reykjavík labor movement is managing the project's ongoing development, consulting with other City departments and relevant stakeholders as needed.

Mayor's proposal.

Women carry the Venus statue on their shoulders during a May 1, 1970, march on Laugavegur.
Kröfuganga niður Laugaveg, 1. maí 1970. Konur bera Venusarstyttuna og krefjast jafnréttis. Þær sem sjást halda undir styttuna eru Einarlína Erla Ársælsdóttir, Þuríður Magnúsdóttir, Messíana Tómasdóttir, Guðrún Friðbjörnsdóttir, Hildur Hákonardóttir og Edda Óskarsdóttir. Maðurinn til hægri er Þór Vigfússon. Mynd: Jón Þorleifsson/ Ljósmyndasafn Reykjavíkur.