Reykjavík Grapevine - 11.06.2004, Blaðsíða 21

Orthodontists, Artists and Hairstylists to the Stars
by Marcie Hume
Mossfellsbær is a quick drive north from Reykjavík, but it
feels like the deep countryside, with horses close to the road and green
in all directions. The town tends to escape remark in many tourist
guides, but it can now add a new contemporary art gallery to its list
of attractions.
LISTINGS : june 11 - june 24
Want to be seen in the listings? Send us a mail
to listings@grapevine.is and your event will be
announced in the next issue, and the best thing
is that being in the listings is free!
ONGOING
Hafnarhúsið, Reykjavík Art Museum
10:00-17:00 every day
Private exhibition of Thorvaldur Thorsteinsson
and the summer exhibition at the Reykjavik Art
Museum-Hafnarhus.
Gallery of the Icelandic printmakers as-
sociation
Tue-Sun 14:00-18:00
Festival of the sea, international photoexhibition
Klink og bank artist workplace
workplace for artist, open when something spea-
cial is going on.
SÍM-house
Mon-Fri 9:00-16:00
Exhibition by Guðbjörg Hákonardóttir and Guðný
Hafsteinsdóttir
Culture House
11:00-17:00 every day
A summer exhibition entitled The Poetic Edda.
The exhibition is intended to provide visitors
with some insights into these ancient poems
that have as their subject matter the mythol-
ogy, ethics and Germanic heroes revered by the
Norse peoples during the Viking age.
Ásmundarsafn, Sculpture museum
10:00-16:00 every day
The Man and Material. A retrospective exhibition
of works by Asmundur Sveinsson.
Telecommunications Museum
Tue,Thu&Sun 11:00-17:00
Pictures and items related to the history of tele-
communications.
Reykjavík Zoo and Family Park
10:00-18:00 every day
Icelandic horse and sheep, along with local va-
rieties other animals in the zoo. Right beside it
is the Park, which has various activities for the
whole family.
Reykjavík Botanical Garden
10:00-22:00 every day
All kinds of plants and flowers on display.
Kjarvalsstaðir Art Museum
10:00-17:00 every day
Roni Horn: Her, her, her and her: Photographs
taken in the Reykjavik Swimming Hall.
Francesco Clemente: New Works. Exhibition of
new works by the famous Italian artist.
Kjarvalsstaðir Art Museum
10:00-17:00 every day
Works from the Kjarval Collection. Kjarval’s ca-
reer as a painter spans the years 1901 to 1968.
An overview of Kjarval’s work which shows how
he developed as an artist.
Einar Jónsson Sculpture Museum
Tue-Sun 14:00-17:00
Works of Einar Jónsson, Iceland´s first sculptor.
Hafnarhúsið, Reykjavík Art Museum
10:00-17:00 every day
I Didn’t Do It. Private exhibition of Thorvaldur
Thorsteinsson - the museum’s summer exhibi-
tion.
Hafnarhúsið, Reykjavík Art Museum
10:00-17:00 every day
Part of the Erró Collection on show.
National Gallery of Iceland
11:00-17:00 every day
Close-up. American Contemporary Art. Includes
the Jacko porcelain statue, the most expensive
piece of art ever to come to Iceland.
Sigurjón Ólafsson Sculpture Museum
Tue-Sun 14:00-17:00
Works by the artist.
Reykjavík Museum of Photography
Mon-Fri 12:00-19:00, Sat&Sun 13:00-
17:00.
A collection of Finnish contemporary photo-
graphs.
Museum of Medical History
Sun,Tue,Thu,Sat 13:00-17:00
Artefacts, tools, instruments and pictures on the
subject.
Numismatic Collection of the Central Bank
Mon-Fri 9:00-17:00, Closed 12:00-13:00.
Icelandic coins and banknotes.
Icelandic Institute of Natural History
Tue, Thu, Sat, Sun 13:00-17:00
Geological, botanical and zoological exhibits, dis-
playing the nature of Iceland.
Nordic House
Mon-Fri 8:00-17:00, Sat&Sun 12:00-17:00
Paintings by Sigurður Þórir and Exhibition On the
way from Helsinki to Vilníus Ends June 13
Saga Museum
10:00-16:00 every day.
The Saga museum intimately recreates key mo-
ments in Icelandic history and gives a compelling
view into how Icelanders have lived and thought
for more than a millenium through the use of life
size likenesses
Culture House
11:00-17:00 every day
Many of Iceland’s national treasures are on dis-
play in the Culture House’s featured exhibition
Medieval Manuscripts – Eddas and Sagas. The ex-
hibition Home Rule 1904 is held on the centenary
of Home Rule in Iceland 2004.
Gerðarsafn, Kóparvogur Art Gallery
Tue-Sun 11:00-17:00.
Private Collection - Icelandic Painting in Den-
mark. Also Opus, Paintings on Plexiglas by Bjarni
Sigurbjörnsson. Ends June 20
Gerðuberg Cultural Center
Mon-Fri 11:00-19:00, Sat-Sun 13:00-17:00.
Women of the world - art exhibition. Works of 176
women from 176 countries.
Reykjavík City Library
Mon-Fri 10:00-16:00
Books and periodicals in Icelandic as well as Eng-
lish, Scandinavian and other languages. Also has
a childrens and a comic book section.
Gallery Fold
Mon-Fri 10:00-18:00 Sat 11:00-17:00 Sun
14:00-17:00
One of the largest Galleries in Iceland, works by
many know artists.
Handverk og Hönnun
Mon-Fri 09.00-16:00
Craft and design. Craftspeople transfer – in mod-
ern and dynamic ways – nature’s shapes, colours
and materials to their work.
Gallery Hnoss
Mon-Fri 12:00-18:00 Sat 11:00-16:00
Auður Eysteinsdóttir works with aquarelle, pas-
tels and stained glass. Hildur Margrétardóttir
works with oil on canvas and aquarelle.
Gallery i8
Thu&Fri 11:00-18:00
Katharsis. In her work Gabriela Friðriksdóttir pres-
ents the manifold faces of melancholy in many of
her sculptures and drawings.
Gallery Meistari Jakob
Mon-Fri 11:00-18:00, Sat 11:00-14:00
The gallery is run by eleven artists who work in
ceramics, textiles, printmaking and paintings and
you will always find one of them at the gallery.
Gallery Ófeigur
Mon-Fri 10:00-18:00, Sat 10:00-16:00
Exhibitions by Sunna Sigurðardóttir. Ends June 16
Gallery Sævar Karl
Mon-Fri 10:00-17:00
Ari Svavarsson installation inside the cloathes
store.
Gallery Tukt
Mon-Thu 13:00-18:00, Fri 13:00 - 17:00
Various artists.
Gallery Hulduhólar
Sat 11:00-14:00
Ceramic artwork from Steinunn Marteinsdóttir.
Safn
Wed-Fri 14:00-18:00. Sat&Sun 14:00-17:00
The works were the artists’ most current works
at the time of the museums purchase. The art-
ists in Safn include: Donald Judd, On Kawara,
Karin Sander, Lawrence Weiner, Dan Flavin, and
Dieter Roth.
Teddi - Workshop
10:00-18:00 every day
Open workshop of tree sculptures of Teddi
Art Studio Gallery
Mon-Fri 10:00-16:00
Ceramic by Svetlana Matusa and oilpaintings by
Helgi Hálfdánarson
FRIDAY
JUNE 11
Nordic House: Concert, Reykjavík 5 and Jazz-
band
Culture House: A summer exhibition entitled
The Poetic Edda will be opened. The summer ex-
hibition will continue through August.
SATURDAY
JUNE 12
Klink og bank artist workplace: Saleshow in
the Greenhall beginns
Hafnarborg Art Gallery: New Exhibition opens.
SUNDAY
JUNE 13
Árbæjarsafn, Folk Museum: Focus on Icelan-
dic wool sweaters. Church service 2 pm.
MONDAY
JUNE 14
Hafnarborg Art Gallery: Concert by Antonía
Hevesi playing the piano and Davíð Ólafsson play-
ing bass.
WEDNESDAY
JUNE 16
Hafnarborg Art Gallery: Concert by Antonía
Hevesi plays the piano while Auður Gunnarsdót-
tir sings.
THURSDAY
JUNE 17
All around Iceland: June 17th is the National
Day of Iceland when the country declared full
independence from Denmark in 1944.
Klink og bank artist workplace: Many things
going on, open market, music, art and more
Árbæjarsafn, Folk Museum: Iceland’s National
Day. National costumes. Folk dancing 4 pm. Exhi-
bition of traditional jewellery.
Hallgrímskirkja Church: Lunch Time Concert
FRIDAY
JUNE 18
Nordic House: A concert for playschoolchildren.
Free admission!
SATURDAY
JUNE 19
Hallgrímskirkja Church: Lunch Time Concert
- Christopher Herrick
Nordic House: Summer Solstice Concert
Admission: Icel. kr. 1.200
SUNDAY
JUNE 20
Árbæjarsafn, Folk Museum: Focus on Icelan-
dic herbs and their use for medicinal purposes, in
food and as dyes.
Nordic House: Familyconcert., Free admission!
Hallgrímskirkja Church: Evening Concerts Sun-
days - Christopher Herrick
MONDAY
JUNE 21
Kling og Bang Gallery: Exhibition opens,
worldfamous american artists Paul McCarthy and
Jason Rhoades.
TUESDAY
JUNE 22
Árbæjarsafn, Folk Museum: Midnight Sun
guided walk in Elliðaárdalur valley. Departure at
10 pm from museum entrance.
Sigurjón Ólafsson Sculpture Museum: Hjör-
leifur Valsson, violin, Tatu Kantomaa, accordeon
and Kristinn H. Árnason, guitar. Music by the
Czech composer Václav Trojan including the
suite composed for Jirí Trnka’s puppet film: The
Emperor’s Nightingale.
THURSDAY
JUNE 24
Hallgrímskirkja Church
Lunch Time Concert - Announced later
The gallery is situated within a
cluster of old structures which, in
the diffused evening light, add an
aesthetic contribution of their own.
An abandoned wool factory looms
authoritatively near a building which
houses an old swimming pool, a
recording studio utilized by Sígur
Rós and, in an attached structure,
the newly renovated Þrúðvangur gal-
lery and workspace recently opened
by Ólöf Oddgeirsdóttir. In rooms
where the factory workers once ate
their grub, the artist has created a
hospitable show space and has gath-
ered many of her female colleagues
to contribute to this initial exhibition
which honors the 60th anniversary of
Iceland’s independence on 17 June.
It’s an evocative setting for this col-
lection of work which celebrates the
evolution of Iceland since its rela-
tively recent political independence, a
tribute to both the nation’s expansion
and its cultural stability.
Each artist’s work is in some way in-
timately connected to Iceland wheth-
er it regards the nation’s unscathed
natural environment, its people or its
politics. The show presents a broad
spectrum of photographs, video and
installation pieces. A piece by Hlíf
Ásgrímsdóttir uses a combination of
all of these. Large sheets of plastic
are draped across the floor, on top of
which sits a monitor with a film of
the artist removing the plastic from a
river in nearby Álafoss. Behind this
display are several photographs in
which similar pieces of plastic have
drifted into natural settings and have
become entangled within pristine
settings. The photographs fluently
attest to the supremacy of nature, its
capacity to integrate and overcome.
Small branches have wrapped
around the debris, incorporating the
otherwise offending plastic into their
form. It is a testament to the persis-
tence of nature against the change
instigated by human forces.
One of the most gripping and
simultaneously entertaining pieces is
one entitled “Portrait”, created by the
exhibition’s organizer. It is shown on
a television which sits in a small cor-
ner between two rooms of the gallery
and presents various teenagers from
Mossfellsbær discussing their ideas
and aspirations for their own futures.
We see each teenager close-up as
they sit for an initial portrait-like
shot, not speaking, looking into the
camera. There is an instant intimacy
with these faces as we see all their
imperfections and insecurities, the
restrained apprehension about what
they are meant to be doing for the
camera, and the innate timidity that
is generally paired inextricably with
the teenage years.
One face is that of a classically pretty
girl with long blonde hair, a lovely
face, and a mouth full of braces.
She smiles hugely, looking mostly
into the lens, but her smile fades
intermittently as she briefly looks to
the artist’s face behind the camera in
order to gauge what she should do
next. And in this brief close-up look
we feel that sharp contrast of innate
beauty living side by side with hu-
man awkwardness and uncertainty.
Each discusses various aspirations:
the girl with braces wants to go to
America to learn to be an ortho-
dontist. Another would like to be a
doctor, to go to Norway for a couple
of years and then return home. One
says that he would definitely like
to eventually end up still close to
Reykjavík because, well, everything
is in Reykjavík, and he will probably
consider being a psychologist or an
artist because those are the well-paid
jobs (not all artists in Reykjavik are
rich. I just thought you should know
-ed.). Another girl wishes to become
a master hairstylist to the stars in
Hollywood. But even as the words
leave her mouth she begins to smirk
and giggle, saying that a life like
that is really just a dream and she
will probably stay in Mossfellsbær
instead. She smiles openly at herself,
and we might be smirking alongside
her, not necessarily at her teenage
buoyancy, but at the recognition of
how silly our early dreams can be,
how common and implausible such
wishes are, and still how blissful.
Each has their own scheme about
career and travel and purpose, but
the one thing that all eleven reveal
is an ultimate intention to return to
Mossfellsbær or a similar location in
Iceland. And this is the piece’s deep-
est connection to the theme of the
exhibition. The video is a portrait of
Iceland today, the newest genera-
tion who are fully prepared to take
on the entire world while retaining
everything of their country. This
is the great storehouse of potential
and possibility, the younger years
that show, through all the overt
inelegance, their true belief in their
lives as Icelanders. This is Iceland 60
years later.
CULTUREARTS and
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