Reykjavík Grapevine - 11.11.2016, Síða 50

Art Painting50The Reykjavík GrapevineIssue 17 — 2016
Ethoríó is one of Keflavík’s hid-
den gems. A ruby-red, bubblegum-
pink, doom-Pop-Art-making,
gold-sunglass-toting gem. I took
it upon myself to chat with him
about his art and his alter ego as
an artist.
The shock of the new

One of his most striking paintings
is “A Small Man With Big Power,” a
portrait of former Prime Minister
Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson.
During the Panama Papers scan-
dal, it was revealed that Sigmun-
dur sold his half of an offshore
company to his wife for $1. Etho-
ríó’s Illma Gore-style painting of
the disgraced pol, the first to go
at a recent exhibition, sold for a
similarly whopping $1 to “an old
man with a 15-year-old dollar in
his pocket.”
Ethoríó’s mom wasn’t too fond
the painting, scared that “he would
get sued.” He himself doesn’t seem
too worried about it, though: when
I want to be sure I can mention the
painting in the article, he replies,
“YES, please do. I hope he sees it.”
Provocation is a major goal of
Ethoríó’s artwork. “I want to shock
and tell the truth,” he explains. “I
usually work with what’s happen-
ing in the world, politically and
socially.” When I ask him about his
political views, he just replies, “I
know nothing of them. I just hear
rumours and I paint by them.”
It’s not just politics at which
Ethoríó’s art takes aim, but also
the mentality of the people in the
country. He points to a painting
titled “The Over-Judgemental Peo-
ple of Iceland.” “That’s my opinion
in this painting. There’s only 1%
that doesn’t judge. That’s the guy
with the glasses.” Another critique
of the ugly side of the Icelandic
population comes via “The Sketch
of Disrespect,” a view of people
taking selfies in inappropriate
places like graveyards.
No country is safe from the
judgement of his artwork. In
“Pray For Paris,” Ethorió parodies
the attacks of September 11, with
Hallgrímskirkja standing in for
the Twin Towers and Mohamed
standing in for Leif Eriksson.
Alter ego-driven
He visualizes his alter ego with
three symbols: dots, two lines
and a triangle. The dots represent
the handwork in his art, the lines
reflect drumming and his connec-
tion with music, and the triangle
mirrors his thought process.
Ethoríó wears his own invented
symbolism. He tattooed the two
lines on his arm and burned two
dots into his hands. I ask him if
it hurt. “Anything for the arts,”
he replies. He also wears glasses
when he shows his art. “They’re
supposed to reflect the reality. I
never show my eyes.”
Found in the arts
Ethorió has been painting for elev-
en years but really got into it when
he was about sixteen years old. “I
tried every sport but never really
found myself,” he recalls. “In the
arts, that’s where I found myself.
It’s the only thing that keeps me
going.” His grandmother is the
only other member of his family
with a knack for the arts: she start-
ed painting when she was about
80. The one painting he has of hers
is very dear to him.
The first Pop Art painting
Ethorió saw was by the most
prominent Pop artist in Icelandic
history, Erró. From then on it was
all about Pop Art for the young
Ethorió. He counts Erró as one of
his main inspirations, along with
Andy Warhol, Salvador Dalí and
any other artist that challenged
political and social standards.
Check out his Instagram @ethorio
to see more of this upcoming artist.
SHARE: gpv.is/emr17
Iceland’s New Erró: Ethoríó
Words JÓHANNA PÉTURSDÓTTIR
I C E L A N D I C R E S T A U R A N T & B A R
Tasty tapas and dr inks by the o ld harbour
T a b l e r e s e r v a t i o n s : + 3 5 4 5 1 7 1 8 0 0 - w w w . f o r r e t t a b a r i n n . i s
Certificate of Excellence
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