Reykjavík Grapevine - 02.07.2010, Qupperneq 30

VILLA REYKJAVIK
Elín
Hansdóttir
Elín Hansdóttir is one of the
most intriguing representatives
of young generation artists from
Iceland. Her works take many
forms, including architectural
installations, photographic works,
and sculptures. She creates self-
-contained worlds that seem to
operate under their own set of
rules, completely transforming
a benign space into one that defies
expectations and seems only to
exist at a particular moment in
time. Elín’s solo exhibition as part
of Villa Reykjavík is presented
by gallery i8.
Tryggvagata 16
Tropical
Iceland
”Tropical Iceland” is the title of
an exhibition prepared by Sylvia
Kouvali, director of the Istanbul
Rodeo gallery. “This exhibition
is about tourist expectations,
failures and shut horizons” - says
Sylvia - “My fantasy of Iceland has
always been that of a tropical place;
no palm trees and sand dunes; just
icy forests and ethereal sounds
coming from the blue lagoons;
Björk and Sigur Rós. The island
diagonally opposite from where
I grew up on the other side of the
continent has always been a ‘dream
destination’ as for others is Greece,
Cyprus or the Canary Islands.”
Geirsgata 11
Kling & Bang
Garden Party
Kling & Bang Gang is a new
energetic collaboration between
Kling & Bang and the youngest
generation of the Reykjavík art
scene, adding new force to the
now well established gallery, and
resulting in a genuine Saturday
night fever - a garden party around
and on top of the Kling & Bang
gallery. Sculptures by local artists
will be revealed in the atmospheric
melting pot of the new art scene.
Live music, BBQ-ing, massive
summer heat, social hanging-out
and cold drinks - all in green...
Hverfisgata 42, 10 July, 19.00

Make it Happen
One of the special guests of Villa Reykjavík is the Stockholm-based
independent music label, Make it Happen, co-founded by Johanna Billing
– a prominent video artist (her newest film is presented by Hollybush
Gardens gallery from London). Make it Happen will present two concerts:
Blood Music and Cloud and Lightning. Blood Music has existed in many
shapes and forms; from a minimal one man band with a tiny keyboard
to an 18-piece orchestra full of woodwind instruments and strings, but
Karl-Jonas Winqvists (one of Sweden’s most personal and unique voices)
ingenious lyrics and stories always remain at the centre. Cloud and
Lightning is a duo consisting of Ylva Ceder and Patric Thorman. They
have backgrounds in both jazz, free improv and classical music, as well
as folk/americana. Make it Happen – in Reykjavík!

Blood Music – Bakkus / Venue, Tryggvagata 22 , 11 July, 22.00
Cloud and Lightning – Kling & Bang Garden Party, Hverfisgata 42, 10 July, 19.00
T 72
T 72 is a popular
type of a Soviet tank
manufactured since
the 1970’s, which,
unfortunately, has
been tested in regular
military operations on
numerous occasions,
beginning with the
Soviet intervention
in Afghanistan.
A T 72 will now remain parked for
three weeks in an old fishery in the
harbour of Reykjavík, being, most
probably, the first ever tank in the
history of Iceland – luckily, only in
an inflated version. The author of the
project, presented by Berlin’s Johann
König Gallery, is German artist
Michael Sailstorfer.
Geirsgata 11
Swineherd
Wilhelm Sasnal is known to
be one of the most intriguing
painters of the recent decade.
The artist is equally fascinated
by painting, as he is by music and
film. The visionary “Swineherd”
is the first full length feature made
by Sasnal. Its plot, inspired by
Andersen’s fairy tale under the
same title, is set in a grotesque
black and white scenery of a post-
-war Polish farmstead. The work
is an intriguing, dramatic mix of
strange characters, symbolic props,
and dynamic seductive images.
Háskólabíó, við Hagatorg, 13 July, 20.00
Gülsün Karamustafa, Bosphorus 1954, 2007 photo courtesy i8, Reykjavík
Blood Music
Michael Sailstorfer, T 72 (sand), 2008, inflatable tank dummy, 4 air conveyer, Siemens control system, 220 Volt or 110 Volt, courtesy Johann König, Berlin, photo Alexis Zavialoff, ©VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn
photo courtesy Foksal Gallery Foundation, Warsaw
Anna Hrund Másdóttir and Sigríður Torfadóttir Tulinius
The Garden Project
Opening Week, 9-16 July 2010