The research center collaborated with artist Arngrímur Sigurðsson on making a monument dedicated to Klemus Bjarnason, the last man condemned to the flames for witchcraft in Iceland. The punishment was converted to lifelong exile in Copenhagen, where Klemus died in 1692.
Icelandic artist Arngrímur Sigurðsson is well-known for his use of folklore and mythology in illustrations, paintings and sculptures. In 2016 he published the book Museum of Hidden Beings: Mythological Beings of Icelandic Folk Tales, and he also illustrated the Monster of the Month column for Reykjavík Grapevine.
Inaugurated in November 2020, the monument is found in front of the Magic and Witchcraft Museum in Hólmavík. The sculpture shows Klemus in chains, standing in front of a large stone where a book is laid.
The Klemus Bjarnason monuent will be the first stop of a projected “sculpture walk” along the shoreline north from Hólmavík, a project conceived by German artist Arne Rawe.