fArt Is In the Air…

Reykjavík’s one and only performance art festival, artFart, is happening again this summer! The auditory tours, dance, theatre, and visual experiments start up on August 5th, and the stink isn’t set to clear until the 22nd.
Founded in order to give performance-based artists a platform to experiment with new work, artFart has become an established Reykjavík festival and new things are on the agenda this summer. Like a residency programme, where three artists are commissioned to create and work for the three-week period of the festival. Alexander Roberts, one of artFart’s organisers, expresses his enthusiasm for the event, “The festival started in order for artists creating work to show it, and now the platform that was for artists to show is giving some artists the opportunity to create. It is certainly new and really exciting.”
Another fresh addition to this year’s itinerary is the Reykjavík Public Space Programme, which ties in with the summer’s theme of working within public spaces. The Public Space Programme is the only curated portion of the artFart festival, with the aim of exploring the action of participation in public works. “It’s the first time that we’re really working with the city, and not just being in it but trying to become an active part of it,” comments Sigurður Arent Jónsson, another member of artFart’s four-person management team.
This year’s festival should prove pretty entertaining, with over 28 shows, workshops, and talks as well as a large battery of international and local artists. Some of the big names include British performance artist Richard DeDomenici, Swedish dancer Anna Asplind, Icelandic dancer Inga Maren, and Icelandic theatre group Fröken Fix.
The shows and performances are scheduled to take place all over town, with hubs at Útgerðin and Norðurpóllin. Because a lot of the venues and locations for the residency showings are still being decided, artFart has set up a text-message alert system to send out the times and places of the events right to your mobile. Just send your digits to publicspaceprogramme@artfart.is.
Most of the performances, talks, and workshops are free and the few that do have a fee are for unsupported artists with the proceeds directly benefiting them. A lot of the shows are in English and brochures with the schedule can be picked up at most coffee shops downtown. Make sure to get your share of some artFart fun, with such a variety of performances there’s something for everyone.
Full and updated programme available at www.artfart.is