Grapevine Events: Emma, Nýló Party, Steina Closing Weekend

Our first issue of 2026 is being distributed around the country as we type this! Yay! We’re looking out our office window, and can see some sunshine. Double yay!

Along with that, there are some great events and openings to be attended this weekend. Triple yay!

Today at 16:00, amateur photography club FÓKUS begins a series of exhibitions at the Reykjavík Museum of Photography with Hreyfing, where six photographers present works that explore the different connotations behind the word (which means “movement”).

Tomorrow, at 14:00, Listasalur Mosfellsbæjar opens the exhibition Mercury Maze, a sonic and visual installation from the artists behind Mercury Maze Studio (Owen Hindley, Katerina Blahutova and Þorsteinn Eyfjörð). At Kaffibarinn, duo Marsibil (Una Schram & Kári the Attempt) are this week’s Straumur guests at 21:00.

The weekly Sunday Jazz performance at Iðnó — always at 20:00 — welcomes Hvalfugl, an experimental trio that promises an “engaging live experience.”

Looking for more? Just scroll down. Got an event? Add it to the calendar at events.grapevine.is, or go there to check out what’s already happening around town.

Emma

January 9 — 20:00 — Mengi — 2.500 ISK/2.000 ISK for students

In our ninth issue of 2025, an interview with atmospheric folk band Emma explored the influences behind their debut album, Halidome — and if that piqued your interest (but you missed them live during Iceland Airwaves), tonight is your chance to see them perform. The quartet shares that they’ll be combining “stripped back versions” of Halidome songs with some unreleased material, and they’re sure to bring the Mengi audience into their world through the beautiful, delicate atmosphere of their music. ISH

Sæmundur Þór Helgason — DRIP

Opens January 10 — 15:00 — Y Gallery

Sæmundur Þór Helgason is known for making artworks that are imaginative and political — his 2024 Why is Iceland so Poor? plastered Nýlistasafnið in Bónus bags as video interviews of shoppers at Kringlan played on a screen, where Sæmundur asked about poverty in Iceland. Now, DRIP features the artist’s enlarged replicas of Playmobil toys. Up close, you can see the markers of mass production on the toys, and for this series, the artist specifically chose toy accessories that relate to the police: handcuffs, a police helmet, and a vest. ISH

Nýlistasafnið B-Day & New Year’s Party!

January 10 — 20:00 — Nýlistasafnið — 1.500 ISK

Nýló’s annual birthday shindig is always one of the best parties of the year, and this year’s is looking to be no exception. A star-studded lineup of artists, musicians, dancers, DJs will keep the crowd entertained: DJ Kling & Bang, DJ Open, MC Myasnoi, Countess Malaise & Smjörvi, CYBER, Benni Hemm Hemm & Páll Óskar, Kraftgalli, and Apex Anima & FRZNTE populate this year’s bill. Alongside them, circus artists from Hringleikur and a “lucky wheel” bring some whimsy, and Jasa Baka will provide temporary tattoos. There will also be a glitter booth! You can’t miss this. ISH

Photo by Art Bicnick

Steina: Playback Final Weekend

Closes on January 11 — National Gallery of Iceland & Reykjavík Art Museum — 2.500 ISK each

It’s the last weekend to catch the large-scale retrospective of acclaimed video artist and pioneer of new and digital media Steina Vasulka, known mononymously as Steina, taking place simultaneously at two museums across town: the National Gallery of Iceland and the Reykjavík Art Museum. Trained as a classical musician and violinist, Steina spent much of her career working with video, both alongside her partner Woody Vasulka and independently. The exhibitions trace Steina’s career and present a series of immersive installations spanning decades of her practice. If you haven’t checked out both, or at least one, of the exhibitions yet, the Grapevine recommends doing so now. IZ