Grapevine Events: Steina Opening, FALCONFEST, GusGus

There’s something in this crisp autumnal air, something that’s whispering “host events” and “go to events.” We hear it, and we’re listening.

Tonight, SIND Gallery presents its second exhibition since opening: Herdill’s In Your Arms I Can Be Heavy, I Can Be Small. The gallery opens at 17:00, and the exhibition runs until November 8. At 18:00, the wine bar Port 9 also opens an exhibition: Elle Phoenix’s photography exhibition NATURE IN FOCUS.

Tomorrow, for lack of better phrasing, is a hell of a day. Iceland University of the Arts students and friends present the 12-hour performance festival KOMUM ÚT Í MÍNUS at performance space Tóma Rýmið. It will run from 12:00-00:00, entrance is free, and the adjoining sauna will be hot all day long. They’re also collaborating with noise/film/music festival FALCONFEST, which you can read more about below.

Speaking of long festivals, REYKJAVÍK DEATHFEST will be held in Iðnó from 15:00-03:00, boasting 17 bands and two alternating stages. There are groups from Iceland, but also international bands coming from Slovakia, the UK, Norway, and further.

If performance art or death metal aren’t your vibe, there’s more fun to be had. RAKEL, a musician who dreamily intertwines pop and folk with her clear and beautiful vocals, is performing at Mengi tonight at 20:00 (and if you’re curious about RAKEL, keep your eyes peeled for the next issue of the Grapevine). Dance-pop duo KUSK & Óviti take the Kaffibarinn stage this week in the Straumur concert series, always at 21:00 and always free.

And, of course, we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention the GusGus 30th Anniversary Concert happening in Laugardalshöll. Tickets are sold out (unless you’re looking for a 100.000kr VIP package), but I’ve seen some hopeful people trying to buy and sell tickets on Facebook. Otherwise, you can probably find most of the crowd at Kaffibarinn afterwards.

Got an event? Add it to the calendar at events.grapevine.is, or check out what’s already happening around town.

Steina — Playback

Opens October 4 — 14:00 & 16:00 — The National Gallery & Hafnarhús — Free

In a retrospective spanning the exhibition halls of Iceland’s two main art museums, Playback celebrates the work of influential contemporary artist Steina Vasulka. This is the first major retrospective of her work in Iceland, despite Playback travelling to other art museums around the world. Steina’s characteristic inventive spirit will fill the halls of these museums, with sufficient space to capture her exciting career. ISH

FALCONFEST: kárahátíð 1.4 x no borders

October 4-5 — LEMMY — 4.000ISK recommended, pay what you can

Last year, kárahátíð brought Reykjavík a festival where favourites of the grassroots scene performed some of the craziest noise the city has ever heard. Now, they’re back and have partnered with activist collective No Borders to put on a two-day fundraising festival. They offer workshops, film screenings, noise, and non-noise, and the artists range from Benni Hemm Hemm to a two year old. Who knows, maybe this year, you’ll find out who Kári is. ISH

Gabriel Gold — TIDES

Opens October 4 — 18:00 — Whales Of Iceland — Free

When multimedia artist Gabriel Gold heard of 53 stranded pilot whales off the west coast of Iceland in the summer of 2019, he set out to see and honour the whales that passed there. A collection of work, including poetry, photography, video installation, and sound art, was born out of the experience, and now, it will stand on display at the Whales of Iceland museum until the beginning of next year. ISH