17 minute read
EVENTS
OKTOBER FEST MUSIC
SEPTEMBER 1-3 After a two-year hiatus, Októberfest, the largest student music festival in Iceland is back, in September! ( So like, who ever said Októberfest had to happen in like, October?). There are busloads of up-and-coming Icelandic bands, Gaggles of DJs, a forecourt of food trucks, oodles of beer and masses of students, you know the rest.
LJÓSANÓTT - THE NIGHT OF LIGHTS FESTIVAL REYKJANESBÆR
1. - 4. SEPTEMBER 2022 2022 marks the 20th anniversary of the Ljosanott (the night lights) festival. Held in Reykjanesbær a stone’s throw from Keflavík Airport. The town is the historic and spiritual home of Icelandic rock, (due perhaps it’s vicinity to the US base’s in the post WW2 war period). Four days of art exhibitions, street fairs, fencing contests and backyard gigs culminate in an open air concert and fireworks display on Saturday the 3rd of September.
ICELAND SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
(SEVERAL SHOWS) September’s program at Harpa concert hall kick off with ‘Favourite Classics.’ As we go to print the program is TBA, but it is sure to feature some favourite classics. Trifonov plays Beethoven on the 8th. The Russian pianist and 2018 Grammy award winner has been described as “arguably today’s leading classical virtuoso”. Trifonov will also perform a solo concert on the 10th, also at Harpa. Other highlights of the ISO’s September program includes the return of Iceland’s very own Disella Larusdottir, 2022 Grammy winner and Met veteran, Disella will perform from a light classical repertoire including Charles Ives, Mozart, and Leonard Bernstein on the 15th.
MAMMOTH & KÆLAN MIKLA WITH SPECIAL GUESTS
GAMLA BÍÓ - 16. SEPTEMBER Beloved Reykjavík rockers Mammút and Kælan Mikla play a one-off co-headline show at Gamla Bíó on September 16th 2022. Critically acclaimed MAMMÚT, a household name on the Icelandic music scene are joined by Kælan Mikla, much beloved by fans of dark and dreary genre. Both acts share a sense for the dramatic and theatrical and a memorable sonic deep dive is guaranteed.
ROKK Í REYKJAVÍK
KAPLAKRIKI - 17. SEPTEMBER Heralded as the biggest rock punk concert in Icelandic history, Rokk í Reykjavík, brings together the elder statesman of Icelandic Punk rock with new and emerging talent. The festivals takes it’s title from Friðrik Þórs Friðriksson’s 1982 documentary film, which documented the excitement and energy of Iceland’s punk and new wave scene, clips are on YouTube if the spirit moves you. The concert is held in Kaplakriki stadium in Hafnarfjörður. Punk not dead! (It just smells that way).
RIFF - REYKJAVÍK INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
SEVERAL LOCATIONS SEP. 29 - OCT. 9 RIFF, Reykjavík International Film Festival, offers a wide selection of new and independent cinema. Screening around 200 films from over 40 countries over ten days with special guests and events for film lovers and filmmakers.
As ever, there’s an emphasis on highlighting the work of young and emerging filmmakers and focused programs. This year the spotlight turns to Spanish cinema and Inuit horror films.
SIGURJÓN ÓLAFSSON MUSEUM
A Mural without a Wall
A poster and sculpture exhibition relating the story of Sigurjón Ólafsson’s monumental relief Stacking Saltfish, which was originally supposed to decorate the house of the Fish Industry in Reykjavík. In the end, the relief became a free-standing wall in the vicinity of the College of Navigation in Reykjavík. New research revealed severe deterioration in the relief, suggesting that previous repair-work was unsuccessful.
REYKJAVIK ART MUSEUM ÁSMUNDARSAFN
Ásmundur Sveinsson and Unndór Egill Jónsson: Contemporary sculptor Unndór Egill Jónsson presents a new body of work framed as a response or conversation with the work and legacy of Ásmundur Sveinsson. The museum itself was designed and built as a studio and home by Ásmundur. All about light, the modernist concrete structure is (apparently) a mix of the Mediterranean and nordic styles, though that might take a minute. If you’ve not been, it’s a very cool space and well worth checking out. Unndór Egill’s practice mixes woodwork, furniture and kinetic timber machinery. It will be interesting to see how it fits with the singular vision of Ásmundur’s beautiful, peculiarly space.
AURORA REYKJAVÍK
Catch the Aurora Borealis All Year Round
There is perhaps nothing more magical than witnessing the
Aurora Reykjavík Unndór Egill Jónsson
beauty of a northern lights display. However, those unpredictable, ever dancing lights don’t always show up on cue – and fade away during the summer months. So, it is with great joy that we welcome Aurora Reykjavík – The Northern Lights Centre, where the northern lights are always on display. Aurora Reykjavík’s pull and ace up its sleeve is its fantastic 4k timelapse film of the Aurora Borealis. Aurora Reykjavík’s latest additions are virtual reality goggles featuring the world’s first 360° movie of aurora displays entirely shot in Iceland. If you can’t catch the northern lights yourself, this utterly realistic experience is definitely the next best option to witness the beauty of this truly amazing phenomenon.Capturing the northern lights with your own camera can be challenging, but at Aurora Reykjavík, you receive instruction by the experts: bring your camera and try the right settings at the Northern Lights Photo Simulator. In the exhibition, you will find an entertaining selfie booth – have fun looking all fabulous under the northern lights!
For more information, see www.aurorareykjavik.is.
HOME OF AN ARTIST
A Window in Reykjavík – Ásgrímur Jónsson’s house
The exhibition A Window in Reykjavík comprises a selection of works by Ásgrímur Jónsson. The common feature of these works is that they relate to the artist’s surroundings in Reykjavík.
Ásgrímur Jónsson (1876–1958) is one of the pioneers in the history of Icelandic art; he was the first Icelandic painter to make a career in art. The view from the window of Vinaminni, where he first lived on his return to Iceland, became a favourite motif for him, with its vista of Reykjavík Harbour and Mt. Esja across the bay. Watercolour was an appropriate medium for capturing the quality of the light over the waters of Skerjafjörður and the houses on Laufásvegur. Ásgrímur’s life and oeuvre span a long period of Iceland’s history – a time when the old rural society was starting to decline and Reykjavík was growing from a town into a city. Many of Ásgrímur’s paintings from Reykjavík, painted in the first half of the 20th century, depict a peaceful little town where houses cluster
Dieter Roth Ásgrímur Jónsson
along the ocean shore; yet they also show economic activity, such as workmen building roads as the new urban society evolves.
NATIONAL GALLERY OF ICELAND
Jewellery by Dieter Roth
Dieter Roth (1930—1998) was a pioneer who respected no boundaries: a thinker, trailblazer, poet, musician, filmmaker and visual artist. A less well-known aspect of his career is that he also made an impression with his creation of innovative jewellery, starting in Iceland in the late 1950s. The first pieces of jewellery designed by Roth were made in collaboration with his wife, artist Sigríður Björnsdóttir, at the kitchen table in their home; but before long, they were offered better facilities in the atelier of goldsmith Halldór Sigurðsson at Skólavörðustígur 2 in central Reykjavik.
Roth‘s jewellery, generally composed of screws, bolts and other mechanical parts, could be assembled in various different ways, and reconfigured. His jewellery-making was characterised by the same approach as his art: he made use of materials that were generally dismissed as waste or refuse, which he transformed. No two objects are alike; Dieter Roth was familiar with the qualities of the material and worked directly with it. In the 1960s, Roth embarked on a collaboration with Swiss goldsmith Hans Langenbacher; the two men had first met at the atelier of goldsmith Jón Sigmundsson in Reykjavík in 1958, and had been impressed by each other‘s methods, use of materials, and skill.
Margrét H. Blöndal: Ode to Join
Margrét H. Blöndal’s exhibition Ode to Join comprises drawings made with oil and powdered pigments, plus three-dimensional pieces created directly onto the exhibition venue as a response to the space. Movement arises from partitions to be installed in the space, the placement of the works and the relationship between them.
Ingunn Fjóla Ingþórsdóttir’s installation The Only Constant is Change bears an element of familiarity as the artist revisits and combines components from former works in a new manner. The multifaceted piece conforms to its own inner operating system, on one hand, and the presence of guests, on the other, disguising the starting point of motion.
Some New Works
In keeping with the National Gallery’s remit as an archive, repository and collector of Icelandic Art, the Gallery’s latest show, Some New Works does exactly what it says on the tin, showcasing recent acquisitions alongside the museum’s extensive collection. The best place to get an overall snapshot of Iceland’s visual art history, the Gallery’s permanent collection contains works dating from the 16th century to the present day. It’s expanding collection, with newer works showcased here illustrate the Galleries commitment to it’s statutory role in collecting work reflecting movements in Icelandic and international art.
REYKJAVIK ART MUSEUM KJARVALSSTAÐIR
Heads from Clouds - Jóhannes S. Kjarval’s portraits
Throughout his entire career, Kjarval created portraits, and this extensive exhibition features oil paintings of known people from all eras, watercolour portraits of Italian people from 1920, a selection of ink and india ink drawings from 1928-1930, sanguine portraits of friends and family, and lesser known portraits from the artist’s later years.
Kristinn G. Harðarson Stitches and threads
Stitches and Threads is an exhibition of works by contemporary Icelandic artists who embroider or make use of the needle and thread as a tool in their art. They either look to the past to work with the heritage of the craftsmanship and its tradition, or employ the needle as a tool in progressive experiments with other media. The exhibition includes new and recent works by a varied group of artists, both representatives of the younger generation and artists who have made their mark on the Icelandic art scene. Jóhannes S. Kjarval
THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF ICELAND
The National Museum of Iceland’s permanent exhibition, Making of a Nation – Heritage and History in Iceland, is intended to provide insight into the history of the Icelandic nation from the settlement to the present day. The aim is to cast light on the Icelanders’ past by placing the cultural heritage preserved by the National Museum in a historical context, guided by the question: what makes a nation? The exhibition includes about 2,000 objects dating from the Settlement Age to the present, as well as about 1,000 photographs from the 20th century. The exhibition is conceived as a journey through time: it begins with the ship in which mediaeval settlers crossed the ocean to their new home, and it ends in a modern airport, the Icelanders’ gateway to the world.
In the shadow
Women pioneers of photography take centre stage in an exhibition in the National Museum’s photography room. The exhibition highlights ten women photographers in Denmark, Iceland, and the Faroe Islands in the latter half of the 19th century. The exhibition title has a double meaning. The women stood behind the camera and out of the spotlight, but also in the shadow of their male contemporaries. Sometimes, their work was even attributed to their husbands.
Saga of Hofstaðir, Unearthing the Past in North Iceland
At Hofstaðir, in the district of Lake Mývatn, north Iceland, extensive archaeological excavations have been carried out over the past three decades. The site includes remains from the Viking Age to the 20th century. A huge Viking-Age structure was excavated: a hall or longhouse where people gathered on social occasions, with other smaller buildings around it. The hall is one of the largest structures ever excavated in Iceland. In addition, a churchyard was excavated at Hofstaðir, which is one of the oldest churchyards unearthed in Iceland. Whole families were laid to rest in the cemetery, and their bones yield evidence about their lives. The face of one of the women buried at Hofstaðir has been reconstructed using DNA technology, and a drawing of her is included in the exhibition.
From mire to metal
In the past, iron smelting from bog iron was performed in Iceland. The use of metallurgical furnaces called bloomeries were used to smelt iron throughout the Middle Ages. Thereafter the practice steadily declined until it was completely abandoned in the 17th or 18th century. The knowledge of this Making of a Nation
ancient craftmanship has since been forgotten to time, leaving numerous questions about the bloomery process unanswered.
For a long time, scientists have attempted to answer questions about bloomery in Iceland. How was bog iron processed? How were bloomery furnaces constructed, isolated, and ignited? What quality of iron could be produced from Icelandic bog iron?
The exhibition From mire to metal explores bloomery research in Iceland. Bloomery experiments were carried out at Eiríksstaðir, successfully smelting iron for the first time from Icelandic bogs in centuries
ÁRBÆR OPEN AIR MUSEUM
Árbær was an established farm well into the 20th century, and the museum opened there in 1957. Árbær is now an open-air museum with more than 20 buildings which form a town square, a village and a farm. Most of the buildings have been relocated from central Reykjavik.Árbær Open Air Museum tries to give a sense of the architecture and way of life and lifestyles of the past in Reykjavík and during summer visitors can see domestic animals. There are many exhibitions and events held at the Museum, which highlight specific periods in Reykjavik’s history. These include craft days, vintage car displays, Christmas exhibitions and much more. There is something for everyone at Árbær Open Air Museum.
Karólína the Weaver
Karólína Guðmundsdóttir (1897-1981) learned weaving in Copenhagen, and for several decades she ran a weaving atelier on Ásvallagata in Reykjavík.
She wove upholstery and curtain fabrics for public bodies, businesses and homes, where the colours and textures harmonised with their surroundings. Her embroidery fabrics were used in school pupils‘ needlework projects for many years, and embroidered wall-hangings and cushions from Karólína‘s atelier adorned many Icelandic homes. She was thus an influence upon Icelanders‘ home furnishings and taste. In addition, her work led people to recognise the fine qualities of Icelandic wool and changed attitudes to crafts and needlework.
Consumption - Reykjavík in the 20th century
The exhibition aims to show the huge and rapid changes that took place in consumption patterns in Reykjavík during the 20th century – to explore the factors that affected consumption, and how technical advances, government actions, wars, and events in Iceland and abroad influenced the daily life of the people of Reykjavík.
EINAR JÓNSSON MUSEUM
This is a museum in the heart of Reykjavík that houses the work of Iceland’s first sculptor Einar Jónsson. The museum contains close to 300 artworks spanning a 60-year career: carvings from the artist’s youth, sculpture, paintings and drawings. A beautiful tree-clad garden adorned with 26 bronze casts of the artist’s works is located behind the museum. The task of the museum is to collect, preserve and display the work of Einar as well as to conduct research on his life and art.
THE SETTLEMENT EXHIBITION
The Settlement Exhibition
An open excavation where Viking ruins meet multimedia technology. Just below ground in downtown Reykjavík, this open excavation uncovers the city’s Viking Age history. Discovered during building work in 2001, these archaeological remains turned out to be the earliest evidence of human settlement in the city, with some dating to before AD 872. Careful excavation revealed a 10th-century hall or longhouse, which is now preserved in its original location as the focal point of the exhibition. Interactive technology immerses you in the world of the Reykjavík farm at the time of the first settlers, including information on how Viking Age buildings were constructed and what life was like in the hall. The Settlement Exhibition is part of Reykjavík City Museum
Árbær Open Air Museum
Einar Jónsson Museum
AÐALSTRÆTI 10
Aðalstræti ...and the story continues
Family-friendly and informative exhibition about the development of Reykjavík, from farm to city.
This new display is a direct continuation of The Settlement Exhibition, representing Reykjavík’s history from settlement to the present day. Visitors get an insight into the complex history and culture of Reykjavík through the development of house construction and planning with a stop at the oldest house in the city centre, Aðalstræti 10.
The admission is valid to both Aðalstræti 10 and The Settlement Exhibition in Aðalstræti 16.
REYKJAVIK MUSEUM OF PHOTOGRAPHY
Elvar Örn Kjartansson - The System Elvar Örn’s carefully considered collection of images presents images of industrial plant machinery, engineering works, treatment plants and other functional infrastructure. All the stuff you never see, or even think of unless it breaks. Photographed with a clinical and utilitarian approach, these are the spaces upon which our civilisation rests. An interesting and thought provoking show. Gissur Guðjónsson - Site Gissur creates landscape photographs that include traces of human activity. The focus is in the found and the accidental. Images reframe the discarded, overlooked and left over inviting new interpretations. A recent graduate from Ljósmyndaskólinn –The School of Photography, Gissur is based in Selfoss.
Elvar Örn Kjartansson
REYKJAVIK ART MUSEUM HAFNARHÚS
Erró: The Power of Images
Erró is one of the few Icelandic artists who has gained a foothold in the international art scene. The Power of Images is a comprehensive overview of the artist’s colourful career that has Erró
made use of various media in the visual arts. Within it you will find everything from performances, video works, graphics, multiples and collages, to larger works in public spaces and paintings of all scales. All have helped to earn his place in the art history of Europe. Here presented is the most extensive exhibition that has been realised of the artist’s works in Iceland. The exhibition The Power of Images reflects Erró’s remarkable career and is based upon the artist’s donation of his art to the City of Reykjavík. It is installed across Reykjavík Art Museum – Hafnarhús, with more than 300 artworks of various kinds, as well as, photographs and other information about the artist exhibited.
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INGÓLFSSTRÆTI 1A 101 REYKJAVÍK
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THE ICELANDIC PUNK MUSEUM
The Icelandic Punk Museum is located at Bankastræti 0, an underground location that served as public toilets from 1930 to 2006. The museum honours the music and the spirit that has shaped musicians and bands to this day; people who dared to be different. Objects, photographs, videos, posters, etc. from roughly 1978 to 1992 are on display with texts in Icelandic and English, and the main music from the period is available to guests.
HOUSE OF COLLECTIONS
National Treasures
The National Gallery of Iceland’s collection contains over eleven thousand works. In the exhibition Treasures of a Nation, a selection of works from the collection displays the evolution of art in Iceland from the early nineteenth century to our times. Punk Museum
House of Collections
Welcome to Jómfrúin, the home of Danish smørrebrød in Reykjavik. It all began in 1888 with Oscars Davidsen’s highly praised smørrebrød restaurant in Copenhagen. An unbroken tradition of quality and Danish culinary culture for the past 100 years. Enjoy!
