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Get Bored With Baldessari At Nýló
John Baldessari is a revered conceptual artist who has inspired dozens of other big names. Now, his touch will be felt all the way here in Iceland at the opening of Nýló’s exhibition ‘Being Boring’ on Friday, April 8. Three students from…
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Static in the Air, Words on the Page: Or Type at DesignMarch
Last Thursday, the first night of DesignMarch, central Reykjavík was humming with openings of various types. Among them was the Or Type Reading Room exhibit at Mengi: a presentation of new and recent typefaces by the Icelandic/Danish design duo GUNMAD, with two…
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A Boy Becomes Less Of A Boy In Rúnar Rúnarsson’s Sparrows
Much buzz surrounded the Reykjavík International Film Festival premiere of ‘Sparrows’ (‘Þrestir’), director Rúnar Rúnarsson’s second feature film. It begins as a classic coming-of-age story, focusing on 16-year-old Ari (Atli Óskar Fjalarsson) as he struggles with being uprooted from his life in…
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UNCOVERED: Gerri Griswold’s Sordid Affair With Iceland!
If you happen to find yourself in Winchester, Connecticut at just the right time this month, you can observe some bona fide Icelandic horses grazing below the autumnal foliage as you chew on a strip of authentic harðfiskur while taking in the…
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Case Study: Ísafjörður As Safe Haven For Persecuted Families
In 1996, the people of Ísafjarðarbær welcomed thirty refugees into their community with open arms. After a period of preparation, six families of mixed Serbian and Croatian marriages from former Yugoslavia arrived to take shelter in the relatively small (pop. 3,500) fishing…
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A Brief History Of The Traveller’s Tattoo (In Iceland, At Least)
With the burgeoning population of Icelandophiles and ever-increasing popularity of tattoos, it should come as no surprise that souvenir tattoos are becoming trendy among tourists to Iceland. Of course, it’s not a new phenomenon. Fjölnir Bragason of The Icelandic Tattoo Corporation says…
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Theatre: Alice’s Adventures In Nordic Wonderland
We all know the story of Alice in Wonderland, whether it’s from watching the classic 1951 Disney animated film, or the objectively horrible 2010 remake, or just by reading the original source material, Lewis Carroll’s 1865 novel ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.’ It’s a…
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Future Perfect
On “The Story Island,” a fresh young crop of writers is busy carving out a space, making way, creating a culture all of their own, in defiance of what came before. Much like their predecessors, and their predecessors’ predecessors Icelanders’ rich literary…
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Pu$$y, Money, Guns
Lord Pu$$whip brought the gangsta life to Reykjavík last at Þjóðleikhúskjallarinn. He did this in a truly Icelandic fashion: via styrofoam pistols and fake ISK bills. I mean, maybe I’m prejudiced to think that all Nordic rap is funny rather than serious and…
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A Show In An Art Gallery??
Kría Brekkan packs a powerful punch with her tiny voice. Catching her at Kaffistofa, the art space turned off-venue venue was wonderful, even if I had no idea who the hell was playing due to her small size and the unusually tall…
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Poetry Takes Over Harpa
Ásta Fanney Sigurðardóttir, what a woman! Having interviewed her for the current feature story of Grapevine (in stores now, soon to be online) about the literary scene in Reykjavík, but never having heard or read any of her poetry, I was excited…
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What To Do When Disaster Strikes At Airwaves
If you lose you wallet/phone/heirloom jewellery at Airwaves, your first instinct is probably going to be PANIC. As soon as you realize a critical item of your existence is missing, your mind spins somewhat sluggishly out of control trying to remember the…
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Tölting Through The Lava Fields
“This is Stormur,” says the German staff member at Íshestar as she hands me the reins of my horse for the morning. She leaves us to get acquainted, and I pet Stormur’s soft nose, barely able to contain my glee. With impatience,…
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Urbanization On Paper: A European Narrative
Spark Design Space has a clean minimalist facade, a welcome place to rest your eyes next to the garishly painted corrugated tin front of its neighbour Kiki. The large glass windows show the dozens of posters tiled on the back walls of…
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Justin Timberlake, A Review
Eight million sweating preteens were packed into Kórinn Sports Hall in Kópavogur on Sunday, August 24, all for one purpose: Justin Timberlake. Also in attendance were those who were alive to have experienced him firsthand in his original incarnation as a tortured…
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A Secret Show In A Secret Place
“Hey, you guys want to come to my show this Thursday? I can put you on the list.” This was the secret password to score entry into a Sofar Sounds secret show, which I attended last night at a University of Iceland…
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Old Masters, New Dude
He’s young—only 36—but creates his work using the same methods that artists employed hundreds of years ago. His techniques are like those of the Old Masters (even though it’s impossible to say for certain exactly what methods they employed). He paints in…
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Land Of The Sodium Sun
The Icelandic winter is supposed to be dark and fierce with a view of the stars and sometimes the Aurora Borealis stretching overhead. It’s cold and windy, sure, but that’s not what bothers photographer Stuart Richardson. It’s the garish illumination of the…
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Creativity For All
Set in the glacial crevasse town of Seyðisfjörður, the music and arts festival LungA is a buzzing hive of creativity and pure, weird art. The weeklong festival is packed with different workshops held during the week and then topped off by a…
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What’s The Best Thing About Reykjavík In One Or Two Sentences?
Alda Sigmundsdóttir Author and blogger The first thing I think of is Grótta with the lighthouse, in Seltjarnarnes, near the golf course. It’s a really nice place to go for a walk, and just y’know, hang out and bicycle and to be…
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Best Cats Of Reykjavík
For anyone who has spent even a week in Reykjavík, it’s clear that cats are ubiquitous within the city. Some estimate that there around 12,000 of them here. That’s one cat for every ten people here. The multitude of cats are not…
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Icelandic Dating In An Instagram
Early one morning after some drinks, Alex Brown Instagrammed a picture that inspired our cover this issue. A Minnesota native living in Reykjavík, Alex thought the scene strange enough to photograph, but still not altogether surprising. We chatted with Alex about the…
