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Outside and Off the Grid
“In the incessant, obtrusive drone of our technological age, we sometimes begin to yearn for whatever is original, simple, and sincere in existence – for anything that is genuine.” So begins the introduction to Aðalsteinn Ingólfsson´s book “Naive and Fantastic Art in…
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Icelandic Folk Legends
If the recent reprinting of Alda Sigmunsdóttir’s Icelandic Folk Legends is anything to go by, Jarvis Cocker has started something. Much like the Pulp frontman’s recordings of Icelandic stories on his ‘Jarvspace’ page last year, this short collection of folk tales is…
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Standing on the Shoulders of Giants
What were your intentions when you were starting out? Unnsteinn: First it was to win the Samfés (the national youth club organisation of Iceland) singing competition. Þórður: Yeah we started with that. We didn’t make it to anything in the competition but…
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Pioneering Sculptures
You’ll find Ásmundarsafn, the Ásmundur Sveinsson Sculpture Museum, in a unique building near Laugardalslaug swimming pool, just outside of the city centre. Looking like some sort of lunar space station, the large, white domed building was designed and constructed mostly by Sveinsson…
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Street Art: Accepted in Galleries, Banned in the Streets
It’s not just the weather. Reykjavik is a grey city. Beyond the pastel corrugated iron houses of Skólavörðustígur and the colourful storefronts of Laugavegur, the drab grey apartment blocks and uniform developments of the suburb create an atmosphere of ennui and total…
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Bubbling Icelandic Design
If 18th century governor of Iceland and entrepreneur Skúli Magnússon were alive today he would be a happy man. After housing numerous restaurants and bars, the oldest building in Reykjavík, originally intended by Magnússon to be a craft house, has recently been…
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Fotografí Fine Photography
Ari Sigvaldason knew he was interested in photography, but it wasn’t until February when he quit his job of 15 years as a reporter with national broadcaster RUV that he was able to fully realise his passion. Sigvaldason is the founder of…
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June 17 Celebration
Brace yourself for Iceland’s National Day, celebrated on Sunday June 17. It was that day in 1944 that Icelanders claimed independence from their Danish oppressors. It also marks the birthday of 19th century independence movement leader, Jón Sigurðsson. The impressive schedule of…
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Rvk Tattoo Festival
The second annual Icelandic Tattoo Festival was held in Grand Rokk during the weekend June 8 to 10. Among the respected artists that visited Grand Rokk that weekend were: Santana, JJ & GP, Jason June & Cheryl “The Devil”, Cline & Jason…
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A Cross Between Power and Vulnerability
New York artist Spencer Tunick is an internationally acclaimed photographer and performance artist, renowned for his abstract creations featuring groups of nudes posing in public spaces around the world. Since early in the 90s, he’s been documenting massive nude installations where he…
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Vitality and Relevance
Last January, Swede Max Dager took over from Norwegian Gro Kraft as the director of the Nordic House in Reykjavík. Since taking over, Dager has left no stone unturned in his quest to restore the house to its former glory. Dager is…
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Vesturport: “A Bunch of Divas”
Since it was founded in 2001, Reykjavík-based independent theatre company Vesturport has been known for being innovative, unrestrained and provocative, never afraid to take on new challenges and impress the audience with breathtaking stunts and dramatic performances. After starting out in a…
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Reykjavík Arts Festival
Grand scale happenings featuring artists and performers from all over the world are presented at this year’s Reykjavík Art Festival, taking place at various venues across the city and the countryside from May 10 to May 26. The festival has been held…
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Film Club Fjalakötturinn
A recent addition to the Icelandic film cusine is the newly established filmclub “Fjalakötturinn,” which will have regular film screenings in Tjarnarbíó every Sunday and Monday until May. Nearly 30 films constitute the club’s spring program and all screenings are without intermission…
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The Advanced Way to Experience Art
With the existence of YouTube and other internet video sites – where people can distribute as well as download a never-ending amount of movies and video clips onto their computers – it’s never been easier to access entertainment. The only problem is,…
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Taking Dance to the Extremes: Trolls and Transformations in February’s Grand Premiere
This February will see the premiere of two new pieces performed by the Icelandic Dance Company, an independent national institution focusing solely on contemporary and modern dance. Working this time with two internationally acclaimed choreographers, the group is in its final stage…
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Filling the Klink & Bank Gap
With 140 artists working under the same roof for almost two years, Klink & Bank was 5,000 square metres of artistic energy. Later, the house was sold. What happens now? On the second day of my first visit to Reykjavík, I visited…
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A Christmas Flood of Books and Noah’s Freezer Trawler
So, what’s the deal with Iceland’s heavily condensed book market, where almost all of the year’s titles are published in the space of three months? Kristján B. Jónasson: Well, it’s a gift market, one that clocks up sales for about 5-700 million…
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Hot Spring River This River? (Or: Who’s Sheep is This?)
The aluminium smelter in Straumsvík, the slogan “Kanamella” (Yankee-whore) printed over a picture of Iceland, and a portrait of former Minister of Industry and Trade and current Foreign Minister, Valgerður Sverrisdóttir, can now be seen on the chest of conscious locals who…
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Chaplin’s Genius Meets A Finely Tuned Orchestra
Now, it is generally accepted that in films, music has a very specific purpose. It is meant to enhance and complement the mood the director is trying to establish, and can contribute greatly to the overall experience of the film, even to…
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Spessi’s Locations
In the main hall at Hafnarborg, the art and cultural institute of Hafnarfjörður, Spessi is displaying his latest series of photographs, entitled Locations. As the name suggests, the subjects are various locations from all around the country. During a two-year period, Spessi,…
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Nýhil Poetry in the Grapevine:
And Then the Night Came The wood filled with creatures that sang with faded voice and flitted. As the warm breeze they surrounded me, filling me with such gladness that I fell to nothing in peace and slowly ran away like water.…
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The Invasion of the Visual Artists
The first Sequences – Real Time Festival, an international cross-media art festival focusing on time-based art phenomena will kick off Friday October 13th and perk up downtown Reykjavík for two weeks. The festival includes 140 local and international artists, musicians and performers…