Reykjavík Grapevine - 02.06.2017, Qupperneq 2

First
When you read literature from South
America, you quickly find that ev-
erything is red, yellow and orange.
The magic realism of Gabriel García
Márquez is bright green, pink and yel-
low—if you ask me.
Now, when you read Icelandic nov-
els, you just have grey, blue and black. If
you’re reading a crime novel, you prob-
ably see the colour red also, but it’s not a
symbol of passion. It’s death.
It’s safe to say that these two worlds,
Scandinavia and South America, could
not be more opposite. And Icelanders
are always, in a way, battling with the
repressive sight of a black mountain or
a white storm.
When reading an interview with
Hrafnhildur Arnardóttir, Shoplifter,
you get the feeling that she was born
in the wrong part of the world. She is
full of colour and express it with an im-
pressively original outlook in her art.
And Hrafnhildur teaches us a important
lesson: the colours aren’t always in the
environment, but also in your heart.
Hrafnhildur finds colour in the nerve
system—as proclaimed by the title of
her new exhibition at the National Gal-
lery, ‘Nervescape’.
The huge colour sculptures recall
neurons and synapses, the complex-
ity of the nervous system. The colour is
within. You just need to close your eyes
and feel it flow through your veins. But
of course, Shoplifter explains this much
better than me, on page 27.
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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Valur Grettisson
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John Rogers
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ART DIRECTOR
Sveinbjörn Pálsson
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NEWS EDITOR
Paul Fontaine
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TRAVEL EDITOR
John Rogers
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PHOTO EDITOR
Art Bicnick
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WEB EDITOR
Elías Þórsson
elias@grapevine.is
LISTINGS DIRECTOR
Hannah Jane Cohen
hannah@grapevine.is
COPY EDITOR
Mark Asch
EDITORIAL INTERNS
Anisha Chandar
Alice Demurtas
Johanna Eriksson
ILLUSTRATORS
Inga María
Brynjarsdóttir
Lilja Björg Jökulsdóttir
Lóa Hjálmtýsdóttir
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Alice Demurtas
Anisha Chandar
Bjartmar Oddur Þeyr
Alexandersson
Björn Halldórsson
Björn Teitsson
Elías Þórsson
Eli Petzold
Grayson Del Faro
Hannah Jane Cohen
Johanna Eriksson
Jóhanna Pétursdóttir
Jóhannes Haukur
John Rogers
Nanna Árnadóttir
Óli Dóri & Davið
Roach
Parker Yamasaki
Paul Fontaine
Ragnar Egilsson
Shruthi Basappa
Sveinbjörn Pálsson
Valur Gunnarsson
PHOTOGRAPHERS
Art Bicnick
Arngrimur Sigurðsson
Axel Sig
Jóhanna Ólafsdóttir
Junia Lif
Karólina Thorarensen
Matthew Eisman
SALES DIRECTORS
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is
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Valur Gunnarsson
The Reykjavík Grapevine
is published 21 times a
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from December through
February, and fortnightly
from March til October.
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COVER PHOTO BY
Axel Sig
axelsig.com
Heart in Colour
THE GRAPEVINE
PLAYLIST
Seint - Post Pop/The
Last Day with Us
Seint claim their new
album is the first
attempt to make
post-apocalyptic
pop music. Their
aggressive electro
sound is fitting if
you’re dressed in
leather, driving
through a town full
of cannibals in a
Mad Max muscle car.
It’s hardly the first
post-pop, but the
album is intrigu-
ing— one to watch if
you like your electro
music with a dash of
radioactive fallout.
VG
Par Ðar - Svarti
Fuglinn
“Svarti Fuglinn,” or
“Black Birds,” is an in-
teresting mixture of
reference points—
the music sounds
like a low-fi read
of 90s Bad Seeds,
but the vocals are
muted, tuneful, and
more like Kings of
Convenience. None
of which explains
the intro, which
sounds like Tom
Waits speaking in
tongues. JR
Lapalux ft. JFDR -
Flickering
English producer
Lapalux has just
dropped a new col-
laboration with JFDR:
a wonky, downtem-
po production with a
spacious, dreamlike
quality, and another
great vehicle for
Jófríður’s wistful
vocals. JR
Lilli Elli Grill - Skidag-
rimu Tommi
Imagine old school
mixed with trap
mixed with a whole
lot of moonshine.
Voila: You’ve got
“Skidagrimu Tommi”
by Elli Grill. The title
translates to “Ski
Mask Tommy” and
according to the
grapevine (ha!), it’s
based off of some
legendary hobo the
rapper met in Mem-
phis. You probably
know Elli Grill from
Shades of Reykjavík,
but this shows he
can stand alone,
or, uh, with his bro
Tommi. HJC
Smjörvi - SÆTARI
SÆTARI
Smjörvi’s new
release translates
to “CUTER CUTER”
and the song is just
that—cute. But we
don’t mean that in
a condescending
way. No, the track is
endearing—don’t
get us wrong—but
it’s also infectious.
Go for a long drive
in the sun and recall
that puppy love first
crush. Ah, Colby, you
were great. HJC
Listen & watch:
gpv.is/play
EDITORIAL
2
In This Issue
Words:
Valur
Grettisson
Photo:
Axel Sig
P:16 COSTCO ARRIVES IN ICELAND
P:20 ELF SPOTTING
P:31 RAGNAR RETURNS
P:40 GANGLY
P:44 LÓA
P:54 FOOD & TRAVEL
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