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Searching For Bobby Fischer In Selfoss
Within minutes of entering Selfoss, Hrefna and I are lost. “I think we were supposed to take the other exit,” I say, but there are trucks riding our ass and before we know it we’re on the outskirts of town. To people…
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Happening July 11 & July 13: Tríó Fókus
Icelandic chamber group Tríó Fókus will be playing two concerts this week, one on July 11 in Grindavík and one on July 13 in Seyðisfjörður. The group performs well-known works by musicians such as Loeffler, Brahms and Caccini, as well as lesser-known…
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Starting Today: ‘Slices Of Life’ At Icelandic Printmakers Association
Anita Jensen crosses geographical and artistic boundaries in her latest exhibition at the Icelandic Printmakers Association. In ‘物の哀れ (mono no aware) / Slices of Life,’ Anita uses borrowed images from Japanese family photo albums and creates photomontages by incorporating prints of natural…
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Happening Today: ‘Arctic Take One’ At Mengi
We only have one chance to stop climate change. That’s the concept Kristján Hrannar wants to drive home on his album ‘Arctic Take One’. The songs are all named after places in the Arctic affected by climate change, and the album was…
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Happening Today: Vesturbæjar Flea Market At Hofsvallagata
Summer is here, which means it’s time to explore some of Reykjavík’s many flea markets! This Sunday, vendors will take over Hofsvallagata in the city’s Vesturbæjar neighbourhood, just west of downtown. New and used merchandise will be for sale, so come prepared…
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Opening Today: ‘Your World’ At Perlan
Enjoy an exhibition with a view at ‘Your World,’ which opens at Perlan on July 2. The exhibition features five artists whose art makes reference to Iceland, whether it be the country’s nature, history or mythology. The works range from sculpture and…
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Happening Now: Bíó Paradís Icelandic Film Summer Series
Icelandic cinema is having a bit of a moment. This summer, everyone can feel like they’re part of the country’s ascending film industry as Bíó Paradís screens the best of Icelandic cinema, new and old. All films will also be subtitled in…
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Götuleikhúsið Turns Reykjavík Into A Stage
Before the city was swept up in the Icelandic men’s football team’s performance against Austria on June 22, a different kind of performance took place at Ingólfstorg. A group of young actors dressed in football uniforms danced their way down Austurstræti before…
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Food Of The Week: Harðfiskur
“What’s that stuff wrapped in plastic?” asked my friend visiting from Canada as we wandered around Bónus. “Is it fish?” I muttered something vague in response, about dried fish, about Icelanders loving the stuff, about photos I had seen of fish hanging…
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Happening Today: Húrrahús With Kasper Bjørke, The Mansisters and Sexy Lazer
Húrra knows how to throw a party, and this is no exception. At Húrrahús, witness a meeting of Danish and Icelandic electronic minds, as Kasper Bjørke (DK) and Jón Atli Helgason (IS) shake up the dancefloor. Kasper has DJ’ed at some of…
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Improvising In Your Second Language
They’ve only been around for a year, but Improv Iceland has already made a name for themselves with high-energy performances in their mother tongue, garnering attention from the likes of Fred Armisen and Anthony Atamanuik. Due to popular demand, the group began…
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Candy Of The Week: Pipar Fylltar Reimar
My first taste of this week’s candy was at the foot of Esjan, eaten as fuel before a hike up the mountain that looms just north of Reykjavík. Hardcore hikers and outdoorsy types might scoff at me chowing down on a sugary…
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Happening Now: ‘Codependent’ At Harbinger
This six-week exhibition is like few others, in that the gallery space will be shifting and evolving as it proceeds. When it opens on June 17, two artists will be exhibiting their work at Harbinger, but each week new artists will take…
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Happening Now: ‘Conspiracy of Pleasure’ at Akureyri Art Museum
We’ve all got a body, and the latest exhibition at the Akureyri Art Museum examines how these bodies are used and regulated. ‘Conspiracy Of Pleasure’ displays the work of six artists approaching this concept from their own unique perspective, bringing interpretations that…
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Holy Solstice, Please Let Us Sleep
Iceland is known for its midnight sun—as early as May and as late as August, Iceland’s nights are as bright as its days. But beyond the initial shock of nearly 24 hours of daylight, there are some surprising sides of the solstice…
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House Icons Sísý Ey Gear Up For Round Two
“Everything surprises me in music,” says Sigga Eyþórsdóttir, the eldest of the three sisters who, along with DJ Oculus, make up the house band Sísý Ey. “When people recognise us, or know how we are, I’m surprised.” While Sigga and her sisters…
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This Week’s #GVpics: Spelunking, Scuba And Street Art
It’s that time of the week, when we have the difficult job of curating the best photos that come through the #GVpics hashtag. Y’all are so talented that it’s always hard to pick just ten, but here are our selections for this…
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Happening Today: ‘The Treasure’ at Bíó Paradís
At some moments surprisingly funny, at other moments surprisingly moving, this film by Romanian director Corneliu Porumboiu demonstrates a profound understanding of the human condition and spirit. ‘The Treasure’ tells the story of Adrian, a broke young man who searches for buried…
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The Closed Doors Of Bessastaðir, The Presidential Residence
If you look south over Skerjafjörður, the inlet that frames Reykjavík’s south coast, a striking collection of red-roofed houses might catch your eye, just across the water. I see this view every day as I wind around the domestic airport on my…
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Festival Explores Contemporary Connections Between Winnipeg And Reykjavík
The historic connections between Reykjavík and Winnipeg run deep, but these days the cultural connections between the two cities may run even deeper. The núna (now) festival, which is in its tenth year, brings Icelandic artists to Canada each summer, affirming deep…
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Rethinking How We Treat Addiction: An Interview With Dr. Gabor Maté
Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside is notorious for being one of Canada’s poorest neighbourhoods, where rates of drug use are high and where Indigenous women go missing or are murdered just blocks away from the multimillion-dollar condos of the city’s elites. It’s also the…
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Happening Today: ‘Dream Lover’ By Berglind Ágústsdóttir
The exciting and wonderfully experimental Icelandic artist Berglind Ágústsdóttir will be opening a solo exhibition at Ekkisens Art Space this month. The multi-disciplinary exhibition will include a number of Berglind’s plaster sculptures and drawings, as well as on-site creations throughout the month,…
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Scenes From The Heat Wave
In case you’ve missed it, Iceland is currently going through a heat wave. On this scorcher of a June day, when temperatures in the capital reached 14°C, the Grapevine set out to discover what Reykvíkingur were doing to beat the heat. Austurvöllur, by the…
