An Australian artist convicted in Iceland after biting off her abusive husband's tongue has lost her bid to have her case reviewed in the country's highest court but vowed to keep fighting for domestic violence victims.

Sunshine Coast woman Nara Walker, 28, was convicted in Iceland's District Court last year of the serious assault of her then-husband and the assault of an Icelandic woman during a violent confrontation at the couple's Reykjavik apartment in the early hours of November 1, 2017.

Ms Walker's graphic allegations of repeated domestic violence - including rape, physical assault and drugging – were supported by text message evidence but those and her claims of self-defence were not enough to prevent her conviction nor have it overturned on appeal.

Nara Walker has suffered a fresh legal blow in her bid to overturn her conviction. (Supplied)

Last month, Ms Walker told 9news.com.au she was fighting the conviction in part because the "system is built more in favour of the abuser than the victim".

In an application to Supreme Court, Ms Walker's attorney argued she should have the right to appeal based on a lack of precedent surrounding justifiable self-defence in the Icelandic penal code and inconsistencies in testimony from her ex-husband and his now-partner, who is the woman assaulted in the fight.

Ms Walker claimed her ex-husband and the woman had lied about their relationship in court and that her own injuries, nor those of an impartial American witness, were not considered in the verdict.

The application said the severity of the injury to her husband had "clouded" the court's consideration of her own domestic abuse suffering.

But this week, the Supreme Court of Iceland declined to review the case.

A "heartbroken" Ms Walker said the blow was the latest from a system that had repeatedly let her down.

"I sincerely believed in the justice system as I had presumed that Iceland was a country leading equality and women's rights," Ms Walker said from Reykjavik.

"I have been shown that this is a subject the system does not find important to review or acknowledge when the evidence is there.

"It has become evident to me that I had no chance from the start."

Ms Walker was convicted last year after the November 2017 incident. (Supplied)

Ms Walker said she wanted to lift the "veil of silence" around domestic violence.

"This silence is deadly and it takes women every day," she said.

"I can see that many women are stuck within a life of limbo.

"The authorities say that they cannot do anything until something happens.

"When we do seek help, many of us are shamed for staying with the abuser or told we have invalid evidence, the process at times mirroring the harshness of our abusers.

"When we defend our bodies from an attack this is again viewed as unacceptable behaviour.

"So I ask: what are we meant to do?"

Ms Walker said her failures in the court system left her feeling "helpless", like she did during her abusive relationship.

"Regardless of evidence showing previous abuse, my injury report and a witness statement that verifies my own, it would seem his injury overshadows my voice as a victim of abuse," she said.

Nara Walker has been subjected to a travel ban since her arrest. (Supplied)

Ms Walker is now considering an application to the European Court of Human Rights, which in January published a fact sheet of legal cases tied to gender equality and the systematic failures that stand in its way.

She has also been working with an Icelandic woman on a movement they call #systemfails to highlight cases where victims have been let down by institutions.

"There is a war and it is happening next door," Ms Walker said.

"It's time we recognise the injustice happening to our sisters, mothers, friends and lovers.

"With the rejection from the Supreme Court I feel heartbroken, my time here has been spent working on taking this as far as I can, it has been very difficult.

"I have been striving not only for the truth to be acknowledged, but for a system to become more aware of a life so many of us endure each day.

"To work towards a better justice system for victims of domestic violence."

The artist says she wants to "lift the veil" surrounding domestic violence victims. (Supplied)

Ms Walker has been on a travel ban since her arrest 15 months ago and has been unable to leave Iceland, even to exhibit her art overseas.

Ms Walker said her physical suffering has been compounded by her treatment by the legal system and she has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.

"I am left with a conviction that within itself is somewhat a life sentence," she said.