Reykjavík Grapevine - 23.09.2016, Síða 62

LÓABORATORIUM
SMJÖRFLUGA
Icelandic
Commit-
mentphobia
By NANNA DÍS ÁRNADÓTTIR
Hey Nanna, I finished my school term
in the spring but I’d like to stay in the
country. I'd need to get married, but ev-
ery time I bring up the possibility with
my Icelandic boyfriend I can basically
see his lips glue shut. I’m tired of being
the only one bringing it up and waiting
for an answer. -Ready For A Ring
Hey Ready For A Ring, Please consider
seeking medical help for the superglue
leaking into your boyfriend’s mouth. It
sounds like a frightening and painful con-
dition he’s suffering from. -Nanna
Hey Nanna, I love that everyone knows
each other in Iceland, I run into people
from work or friends all the time and
that’s cool but I’m not always up for a
chat. Like, last week I bumped into some-
one I vaguely know from the office, an
acquaintance. He starts asking about
when I’m moving to my new place, if I
need help or whatever and then I feel
obliged to ask him about, you know, his
kids, the summer break, etc. The whole
time I just wanted leave or blank him but
I also don’t want to be rude. How do I strike
that balance when I see people I don’t want
to talk to? -Bad At Small Talk
Hey BAST, What kind of rude bastard offers
to help you move? These assholes need to
cut the flap flap flap and stop wasting
your precious time, clearly. And to expect
you to inquire about their offspring after
offering to help you with life’s most tedious
undertaking, the move! I don’t believe it!
I’m afraid I can’t help you avoid basic hu-
man decency. You either tell them, “Hey
I’m happy to see you but I’m super busy
and don’t have time to talk,” and then
leave, an awkward undertaking I know.
Or you blank them and risk being seen as
rude, which, you know, you might be. At
least you sound like an asshole. So just
own it. Headphones help in cases where
plausible deniability is necessary. -Nanna
Do you want to ask Nanna a question? Go ahead, but continue at your
peril. Shoot her an email on nanna.arnadottir(at)gmail.com or tweet her
using @NannaArnadottir
DON'T ASK NANNA ABOUT
The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 15 — 2016
62
This issue’s human:
Kristín Morthens , artist with Algera
Studio, lives in Reykjavík and studies
in Toronto.
What’s the difference between
joining an art scene here in Reyk-
javík as opposed to Toronto?
“It was very refreshing going to a new
city, but not much different. When
you go to big city you expect it to be
overwhelming, but it’s pretty much
the same. Arts scenes in general are
pretty small and interconnected.
After a few weeks meeting everyone,
you start running into the same
people over and over again. I guess
that’s different than here. Here it
would only be a couple of hours.”
Is there a difference in what
aesthetics are popular between
Reykjavík and Toronto?
“Toronto is a lot bigger and there
are more painters. There aren’t a lot
of young painters in Iceland. Also,
Iceland is secluded. It doesn’t fall
into international fads as quickly and
does its own thing. It isn’t as influ-
enced by everything else. Toronto is
close to New York and the aesthetics
are shared. In Iceland, for young art-
ists, you have to work with what you
got. There aren’t that many places
to show your work. The arts scene in
Toronto is more digitally influenced
than the Icelandic arts scene.”
Where are you going to school?
“I’m studying at Ontario College Of
Art And Design (OCAD) in Toronto,
but this semester I’m studying at
The Art Institute of Chicago as an
exchange student. I came back here to
show my work for a week in Reykjavík
before heading back to school.”
HUMANS OF REYKJAVÍK Words & Photo
YORK UNDERWOOD
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