The Weekend Edit: 5 Things To Do In Reykjavik This Weekend

If you are as meteoropathic as some people in this office, we’ve got just the right treats for you. Whether you want to immerse yourself into a new world, laugh at funny performances or just get lost in music, here’s a fresh Weekend Edit to help you choose the most interesting events now held in Reykjavík.

If you feel like expanding your horizons, however, you can also check our app Happenings for further suggestions.

Art:

The Universe Of The World Breath
Runs until May 20th — Kling&Bang

Created from life and pictures, this exhibition blends the boundaries between reality and memories. American artists Elizabeth Peyton presents a series of works from monotypes to oil paintings capturing friends, one at a time. From Bella D’arcangelo age 8 and a self portrait of the artist to two pictures of the Japanese figure skater Yuzuru Hanyu, discover a new universe.
Kling&Bang is open from 12:00 to 18:00 all weekend. This exhibit runs until May 20th. HJC & AD

Gabríela
Runs until May 19th — Hverfisgallerí

An instinctive and curious mysticism runs throughout Gabríela Friðriksdóttir’s work. From the questioning of her materials through to the use of overtly mythological, philosophical, religious and occult iconography, her work is rich with symbolism and attains a certain gravitas as a result. There’s an evident theme of love and trust for nature and a fear for its future. There’s also a suspicion of human machinations, financial power structures, politics, greed and industry. It’s like a peek through a doorway into a parallel dimension that’s at once familiar, inviting and completely alien.
Opening hours are 13:00 to 17:00 on Friday, and 14:00 to 17:00 on Saturday. JR

Activities:

Hard Cock Hallelujah — Drag-Súgur Eurovision Special
Friday 11th — 21:00 — Gaukurinn — 2,500 ISK

While Iceland’s musical efforts in Eurovision can often test people’s gag reflex, our EV parties are the bomb. Don’t expect a classic Icelandic affair with silly drinking games, though. Drag-súgur’s cheesy pop extravaganza will take you on a euphoric roller coaster through the best and the worst of Eurovision. There’ll be glitter, there’ll be singing, there’ll be glamour—and that’s about all you need. AD

Music:

Sóley
Friday 11th — MENGI — 21:00

Sóley is known for her dark, meditative chamber folk. Her new album, ‘Endless Summer’, is intimate. The opening song, “Úa,” is named after her daughter, and the lyrics are deeply personal in nature throughout. But despite the record’s optimistic title and its billing as her “happy album,” the nature of the music remains contemplative, and sometimes even mournful. Give her album a spin and if it’s your cup of tea, you know where to find her. HJC

Dúó Atlantic: Mine Is Yours
Sunday 13th — Harpa — 17:00 — 3500 ISK

Dúó Atlantica is composed of Icelandic mezzo-soprano Gudrún Ólafsdóttir and Spanish classical guitarist and composer Francisco Javier Jáuregui. Here, the two present a night of folk songs from around the Atlantic: Iceland, Ireland and Spain. On the programme? An original composition of “Down By the Salley Gardens“, which is a poem by W.B. Yeats, Federico García Lorca’a arrangement of “Nana de Sevilla” and one of Iceland’s most cherished folk songs, “Vísur Vatnsenda-Rósu“. If that’s not interesting enough, they’ll be singing in Castilian, Basque, Valencian and Ladino, the language of Spain‘s Jews before their expulsion in 1492. HJC