Grapevine Picks: Magnús and Skúli — Alicja Kwade at i8 — Salóme Katrín, ZAAR and RAKEL

The Grapevine brings you the pick of what’s going on in town this week. We’ve got album launch gigs to celebrate a couple of unique musical collaborations, and we feature the first show in a brand new art space where long-term exhibitions can develop over time.

For even more bright ideas about what to do in Reykjavík, have a browse through our latest paper issue…

Magnús Jóhann and Skúli Sverrisson

Saturday March 26th at 20:00

Fríkirkjan

More information here

Photo by Dóra Dúna

On October 29th 2021, composer-pianist Magnús Jóhann and bassist extraordinaire Skúli Sverrisson locked themselves in Reykjavík’s Sundlaugin Studio and laid down ten tracks live in a single day. It was an exercise in two elite musicians being present in the studio together, weaving their magic to capture a moment, with none of the overdubbing and tinkering that can rob a musical performance of its vital nature.

The results were released last year as the album ‘Án Tillits‘, and the pair have finally shaken off the shackles of covid restriction to stage the launch gig. The hallowed space of Fríkirkjan will provide the perfect environment for the pair to recreate that session’s subtle interplay of piano and acoustic bass, as they play tracks from the album augmented by other selected works.

Read more about the process of making ‘Án Tillits’ in our recent interview with Magnús.

In Relation To The Sun

Until December 22nd 2022

i8 Grandi

More information here

Orbital art

The good folk who brought you i8 Gallery have recently opened up a new exhibition space in Grandi, an industrial spit of land formerly best known for its fish and shipyards. Called i8 Grandi, (well, we all love a functional name), it nestles over a couple of floors in The Marshall House, rubbing creative shoulders with like-minded organisations such as The Living Art Museum and fellow gallery Kling og Bang.

The unique concept of this new space is to focus on year-long shows by single artists. The exhibitions will evolve while on view, allowing their creators to reflect how the passage of time alters their work and encouraging repeat viewings to observe those changes. This inaugural exhibition is by Alicja Kwade and encompases installation, sculpture and work on paper.

Its title—initially “In Relation To The Sun”—will change as the nature of the pieces on display evolves.

Salóme Katrín, ZAAR and RAKEL

Friday March 25th at 20:00

Fríkirkjan

More information here

Photo by Kaja Sigvalda

Three emerging musical forces converge at Reykjavík’s finest ecclesiastical gig venue to launch ‘While We Wait’, their new collaborative album. With the help of a host of musical friends they’ll play the new release in full, along with a selection of older tracks from each of them.

Read our interview with Salóme Katrín, ZAAR and RAKEL on the making of the record.

We have over 60 kinds of Icelandic candy in our store! How is it different? Well, see for yourself! Icelanders love mixing flavours, and the results are magical.