Reykjavík Grapevine - 08.01.2016, Qupperneq 22

If one were to try and summa-
rize the main Icelandic debates
of 2015 in a magazine article,
Nipples & Facials would make
for a catchy title. It was year
when no single artist reigned su-
preme in shaping the identity of
Icelandic culture, and no single
writer penned that perfect ar-
ticle that captures the soul of our
times—rather a great multitude
of people did. Well, relatively
speaking, in Icelandic terms.
The reason is clear. The medium is the
message. And this
year, the medium was
Facebook. More than
ever.
Usually, in what
now feels like ancient
times… there would
be this One Person
who managed to
seize the moment and
define what it means
to be the face of a na-
tion. There was room
for more than one at
a time, of course—
but not in the same
field. So we had this
One Politician. The
One Writer. The One
Musician. And so forth. A shot at be-
coming The One was somewhat akin to
the story of Luke Skywalker. Get out, go
deep into space—til útlanda—and make
a big bang. Halldór Laxness, awarded
the Nobel Prize in 1955, became the
One Writer. And Björk, of course, would
define the meaning of Icelandic Music
for years to come.
Lately, the story of the One has lost
its lustre. It was always a lie, of course.
An omission at best. It takes a village to
raise a genius. If Icelandic culture ever
managed to reflect anything else than
its own idiosyncrasies, it’s because
it is a village of many creative people
who, despite their isolation, have been
remarkably cosmopolitan. The genius
who managed to represent the village
had to embody these contradictions—
beneath a worldly veneer, a sense of
rugged provincialism.
In 2015, the story of One is wholly
untenable. To single out a work of art
that I found personally memorable, I
would mention Björk’s ‘Vulnicura’. Also
of note is ‘Hystory’, a play by Kristín
Eiríksdóttir; the film ‘Rams’ by Grímur
Hákonarson won the Prix Un Certain
Regard in Cannes; the novel ‘Waste-
lands’ by Ófeigur Sigurðsson won the
Icelandic Literature
Prize. But it would be
far from accurate to
claim that these work
of arts took centre
stage in the cultural
debates. The centre
stage belonged to a
particular medium:
Facebook.
Let’s consider
the material condi-
tions. Iceland is a
large island, scarcely
populated. A nostal-
gic depiction of the
isolation living as a
farmer in a desolate
valley can be found
in the film ‘Rams’. But nowadays every
farm, village and town is hooked up.
Iceland is saturated with Facebook us-
ers. The account for 72,5 % of the total
population.
Redemption
A people once accustomed to silence
are bombarded by a barrage of other
people’s opinions. And Icelanders
don’t like it. Or so they say. They just
can’t stay away from social media. Ev-
ery opinion is debatable. And there’s a
creeping sense of being monitored by a
Panopticon society. Everyone regulates
the opinions of everyone else. This is
a global phenomenon. We’re walking
on eggshells everywhere. We feel that
there’s a new gag order in place.
Yet, Iceland is also where the re-
demptive power of social media has be-
come apparent. I would like to mention
two examples. Young women flocked to
social media and out on the streets to
bare their breasts. The Nipple Revolu-
tion. An attempt to desensitize our por-
nographic gaze. They are just as natural
as men’s. They can be just as erotic as
men’s. They should not be censored. Or
appropriated by porn. Women should
be allowed to breastfeed in the open.
Girls should be able to bare them-
selves wherever they see fit, without
fear of being slutshamed The second
example took place on a closed dis-
cussion group, but soon migrated into
the open. Women began to share their
stories of sexual and domestic abuse. It
was hashtagged, #konurtala—women
speak up.
Something quite spectacular hap-
pened. If I were to choose The One
Artist of 2015, it would be the duo Edda
Ýr Garðarsdóttir and Jóhanna Svala
Rafnsdóttir. They designed the icon
that quickly became viral. The facial
emoticon of a person speaking up. Or-
ange meant: I’ve been sexually abused.
Yellow meant: I know someone who’s
been abused. Countless of people on
Facebook adopted the icon. It hit a
nerve. With men and women alike. The
icon transcended age, class and loca-
tion. But it was not a One Artist move-
ment. Yes, Edda Ýr and Jóhanna Svala
designed the icon, but it was the power
of a multitude that shaped the debate.
The effects are being felt on soci-
ety’s every level. The justice system is
scrutinized. Legislation is reconsidered.
Debates on freedom vs. security have
been reignited. Just as importantly,
what began as a women’s movement
has now forced young men to re-eval-
uate their own position; not as passive
onlookers, but as active explorers in
search of an identity.
A horrible year
That was the cultural scene. Art is of
a different kidney altogether. Art may
influence culture. But if art is to be any-
thing else than mere reflection of ten-
dentious sentiments, then art can not
be subjugated to culture. Artists need
to question and distance themselves
from current affairs—precisely if they
are to be in the vanguard of opening
up new horizons. Art is ceding ground
to culture every day
on social media.
Novelists, musicians
and filmmakers are
somewhat protected
by the conserva-
tive structure of the
art form. They get leeway to distance
themselves. But visual artists are par-
ticularly vulnerable. They need space.
2015 was a horrible year for the
visual arts. Their space has been en-
croached upon. Fortunately, there
are many artists who have stood their
ground. Skyrocketing rents are forcing
independent galleries out of the city
centre. Týsgallerí had to shut down.
They’ve exhibited works by Bryndís
Hrönn Ragnarsdóttir, whose ‘Holning/
Physique’ was one of the most memo-
rable sights at the 2015 Reykjavík Art
Festival. Also of note is Haraldur Jóns-
sons’s ‘Kjör’, whose minimalist explora-
tion of existential themes question the
autofictional perspective of our times.
Another gallery, Kling & Bang, an artist
collective that has spearheaded shows
by people like Ragnar Kjartansson,
also closed its doors, albeit temporar-
ily. Ragnar’s last exhibition at Kling &
Bang, ‘The Visitors’, attracted numbers
that would make any theatre envious.
Gallerí Þoka survived by merging with
Hverfisgallerí. They’ve exhibited such
artists as Hulda Rós Guðnadóttir, who’s
been exploring the transformation of
harbour spaces and the life of dock
workers who are gradually turning into
a tourist curiousa. Another artist of
note is Ásdís Sif Gunnarsdóttir, who’s
been exploring the inner space of fe-
male fantasies.
SCANDAL
What is City Hall thinking? Well, they’ve
had their own space to deal with. This
year marked the 100-year anniversary
of Women’s Suffrage. City Hall invited
Ekkisens gallery to host an exhibition
that featured mostly
young female art-
ists, along with a few
men— ‘Kynleikar’—
where they were
given the opportunity
to assimilate and cri-
tique the gender debates. But City Hall
staff covertly sabotaged the exhibition
by turning off the artists’ projectors and
screens.
And, finally, a veritable scandal—this
year marked the unheard-of occa-
sion when the City of Venice issued a
gag-order on Iceland’s contribution to
Biennale Venice 2015. The exhibition
featured a live-in Mosque. The work
explored the shifting borders of Euro-
pean space, the interlocked relation
between art and religion; and the very
idea of sanctuary. The exhibition was
censored. In light of the Syrian exodus
and Europe’s fragility—at a time when
iron curtains are once more being
raised—it’s particularly worrisome that
art’s space is being encroached upon in
such a violent manner. Art should be a
sanctuary. A scarcely populated island
in the North-Atlantic is well positioned
to enshrine such a place.
22
NIPPLES &
FACIALS
Icelandic art in 2016
By Va lu r B r y nja r A nton s s on
"2015 was a
horrible year
for the visual
arts"
"Art may
influence
culture. But
if art is to be
anything else
than mere
reflection of
tendentious
sentiments,
then art can not
be subjugated
to culture"
Once every category had been accounted
for, a minor panic overtook our fine com-
mittee. Despite several attempts, they
hadn’t managed to fit in one of their favou-
rite contenders for almost every category.
This was no good.
The editor was phoned and told of the
dilemma. His response: “What? No! It’s our
goddamn magazine, we can do whatever the
hell we want. Just make up another category
or something?” So we did. Because leaving
out Misþyrming would be absurd.
So, black metal maestros Misþyrming
are our SURPRISE OF 2015! Because no
one really expected them, yet they came
through on so many levels.
After building tension and excite-
ment through a series of intense live shows,
Misþyrming established themselves as
serious contenders in their genre with the re-
lease of their face-meltingly amazing début,
‘Söngvar elds og óreiðu’. Black metal fans
know about Misþyrming. And they love them.
However, it was probably their ap-
pearance at Iceland Airwaves that proved
Misþyrming are that rare type of genre
band that has appeal beyond the niche.
Their Gaukurinn show was packed with all
types of punters, curious to check out this
new local band that was getting hype from
taste-making publications like Vice—
many of them entirely unfamiliar with met-
al’s more extreme fringes. As the band’s set
reached a climax, it became apparent that
people were fascinated by the sheer power
and magnitude of their performance—and
that they would be coming back for more.
Noted the panel: “For years, Misþyrm-
ing have quietly perfected their unique
take on a genre that's often at risk of going
stale, and in 2015 it became obvious that
they had managed to reignite that north-
ern blaze.”
- IT’S A NEW CATEGORY!
The Panelists
Eldar Ástþórsson has been an active presence in
the Icelandic music scene since the late ‘90s, when
he made a name for himself as writing about music
for fabled street mag Undirtónar and hosting the
legendary drum’n’bass radio show Skýjum ofar. He
began working for Iceland Airwaves in 2002, even-
tually assuming duties as the festival’s director,
overseeing its growth from an up-and-coming mu-
sic festival to one of the country’s most well-known
cultural events. Eldar was part of the team behind
music streaming service Gogoyoko, and has since
2010 been a board member of the Kraumur Music
Fund. He also works at CCP Games by day. And
that’s just the tip of the iceberg. We thank Eldar for
sharing his vast experience and knowledge of the
Icelandic music scene.
Óli Dóri is a well-known advocate of new and ex-
citing music—Icelandic and otherwise—via his
long-running radio show Straumur (tune in to X-ið
977 Monday nights at 11pm) and through his web-
site, Straum.is. He can regularly been found be-
hind the decks of Reykjavík’s top bars and clubs,
and co-writes a running New Music column for
this very magazine. He spends his days managing
Reykjavík’s art-house cinema, Bíó Paradís, where
he regularly sets up concerts and screenings of
music-related films. Óli Dóri has top-notch taste
and an impeccable record collection, and follows
the local scene with eagle eyes. What a guy!
Henny María Frímannsdóttir has been working
as Iceland Airwaves’ PR and Marketing Manager
since 2014, but she has followed the local music
scene with enthusiasm for much longer. Henny
was CEO for the powerhouse concert promoters
Prime Ehf. for five years, and as such has produced
and planned shows for countless bands and musi-
cians, both domestic and foreign. Henny’s knowl-
edge of Icelandic music new and old is superior-
-and, as part of the team behind Iceland Airwaves,
her grasp of what’s happening in the local scene
is as sharp and current as it gets. Thank you for
granting us access to your expert knowledge,
Henny, you are supercool!
Surprise of the Year
Surprise of the
Year: Misþyrming