You’ve had your five a day (veggies/beers/panic attacks), now you gotta stay active. Whether it’s to get a dose of culture, hopping on a day tour or splashing around in your municipal pool, you can’t go wrong with our picks for Best Activities.
Best Gallery
Kling&Bang
Grandagarður 20
Located in the Marshall House — a focal point of contemporary art in Reykjavík that also houses one of our runners-up — this institution has cemented itself in the art scene since its conception at the turn of the millennium. It’s hard to mention Kling&Bang without mentioning the Pussy Riot exhibition that ran from the end of 2022 to 2023. Brokered by worldwide art phenomenon and longtime friend of the gallery Ragnar Kjartansson, this first ever overview exhibition of the punk performance art collective and the live performance at Þjóðleikhúsið was all anyone talked about at the start of the year. This was not the first time Kling&Bang had an outsized influence on the cultural dialogue and it won’t be the last.
Runner-Up:
Þula Gallery
Grandagarður 20
Þula. Photo by Art Bicnick.
We weren’t kidding about the Marshall House being a contemporary art hub in Reykjavík, because our runner-up is right there in the same building. Þula recently moved from its spot in Hjartagarðurinn to the Marshall House. It’s difficult to separate Þula from the woman running the show, especially since the gallery bears her name. Daughter of the popular local artist Tolli, she has shown a remarkable nose for talent and incredible dexterity in finding her way into major art markets (like the Chart Art Fair), a nut that few in Iceland are able to crack. Þula offers a glimpse at a variety of local art, while retaining a consistent appreciation for abstract paintings and mixed media art.
Runner-Up:
Gallery Port
Hallgerðargata 19-23, 105 Reykjavík
Picture by Art Bicnick
The small, artist-run exhibition space Gallery Port, based in the heart of Reykjavík, continues to be a consistent force for good for emerging artists and shows a continued dedication to pushing artistic boundaries that seamlessly blend tradition and innovation. Árni Már and his team of visual artists have been able to attract a diverse audience, thanks to its central location and as the spot relocated to bigger and better digs we can’t wait to see what 2024 has to hold.
Previous Winners
2023: Gallery Port
2022: Gallery Port
2021: Gallery Port
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