Reykjavík Grapevine - 10.11.2017, Blaðsíða 23

Diana Forever
Icelandic artists pay tribute to the troubled public
figure in a new exhibition
Exhibition
Opens November 10, 17:00 in Gallery
Port and Ekkisens. Runs November 10-
26. Performance evening in Mengi on
November 18, 19:00
20 years ago, internationally beloved
Lady Diana lost her life in a tragic “car
accident” in Paris [note to self: find
out if jet fuel can melt steel beams].
Her glamorous lifestyle, relentless
charity work and turbulent love life
have cemented Princess Di as a mythi-
cal figure in the public’s collective
conscious. She may be gone, but her
memory most certainly lives on in the
hearts and minds of the public. From
the 10th to the 26th of November, a cel-
ebration of these shared and enduring
ideas about Diana will be on display in
‘Diana Forever,’ an exhibition of origi-
nal works by 12 Icelandic artists in
Ekkisens and Gallery Port.
Curator Auður Lóa Guðnadóttir
says, “As more people hear of the exhi-
bition, we have more and more people
coming to us and telling us a story
about Diana or showing us a work
about her that they did years ago. This
is a big part of the exhibition as this
material is on a line between art and
popular culture. Because the public
seems to own Diana, we can access a
very wide swathe of society. At heart,
the only art form is the stories we tell
each other. We are trying to put those
histories into a tactile thing.”
The exhibition will showcase a
variety of art forms, including per-
formances, portraits, sketches, car-
pentry, video, text and podcasts. In
addition, on Saturday, 18th of Novem-
ber at 19:00 there will be a live perfor-
mance at Mengi by art duo Berglind
Erna Tryggvadóttir and Rúnar Örn
Marinósson, followed by another by
Guðrún Heiður Ísaksdóttir and María
Worms. Topping the night off will be
a lecture about the Princess and a spe-
cial appearance by celebrated perfor-
mance artist Ragnar Kjartansson.
The exhibition opens at 17:00 on the
10th of November at Gallery Port and
Ekkisens. Wine and cucumber sand-
wiches, British style, will be on offer
on opening night.
Dance For Me In Your
Living Room
Reykjavík performance group Dance With Me brings
their new show to the audience of this year’s
Everybody’s Spectacular festival in November
Everybody's Spectacular
November 15-19th, in various spaces
Since forming in 2013, local Reyk-
javík performance group Dance For
Me, created by British-born Brogan
Davison and Icelandic producer Pétur
Ármannsson, has been performing
across the world, playing shows in
Germany, Finland, Italy and Canada,
amongst others. But this November
they’re staying much closer to home,
showing their new production ‘The
Brogan Davison Show’ at the 2017 Ev-
erybody’s Spectacular festival in Reyk-
javík. “We’re very excited!” says Bro-
gan. “This will be the fourth time we
have shown in the festival, so it holds a
special place in our hearts.”
‘The Brogan Davison Show’ is the
group’s fourth project. “In our previ-
ous work we have explored what put-
ting yourself in a vulnerable position
can allow for in a world where tough-
ness and strength are often champi-
oned as virtuous traits,” says Brogan.
‘The Brogan Davison Show,’ which
takes the form of a solo-standup per-
formance, continues this trend. But
in a fun twist, the Dance For Me duo
will instead perform inside the homes
of the audience members, rather than
onstage.
“For me, going into a stranger's
home to perform stand-up is a vulner-
able act full of risk,” Brogan continues.
“I can see everyone I am performing
for and it feels very personal rather
than the audience being a sea of people
lurking in the darkness.”
Brogan, a “self-deprecating,
mouthy and psychologically delicate
woman” kicks off the show by enter-
ing through a cloud of smoke. “It is
epic, glorious and totally stupid,” she
says. She shares jokes and humorous
anecdotes from her life growing up
in working class Britain, interspersed
with singing and cookery tips, in a
performance simultaneously full of
love, rage, bravery and stupidity.
“The show has always ended with
the audience throwing confetti over
me, so maybe that’s an indication
that they really love the show,” muses
Brogan. “Granted, I provide the con-
fetti and ask them to throw it, but
they seem really happy to do so. Who
knows, really?”
Words:
Charley Ward
Photo:
Nína
Hjálmarsdóttir
Words:
Charley Ward
Photo:
Starkaður
Sigurðarson
23
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Macho, Macho Man
Tom Of Finland: Black Box
Runs until Nov. 30, Nordic House
'Tom Of Finland' (aka Touko Laak-
sonenI) is an icon of homoerotica,
who created sensual drawings of
muscular masculine men. While
he was subversive in his time,
in the years since his drawings
have graced the halls of museums
worldwide. "I know my little ‘dirty
drawings’ are never going to hang
in the main salons of the Louvre,”
Touko once said, doubting the
world would ever be ready. Well,
he’s now in the Nordic House, so
take that Tom. HJC
The Centre Cannot Hold
Ben Frost & Valgeir Sigurðsson Live
Dec. 3, 20:00, Gamla Bíó, 3.900 ISK
Australian noise musician and
Bedroom Community-affliated
Íslandsvinur Ben Frost brings his
thoughtful in-the-red cacophony
to the stage of Gamla Bíó on De-
cember 3. His recent Steve Albini-
produced album is immense in
scope, with metallic drones, dis-
torted synth lines, and a taut feel-
ing throughout. It’s also his most
political to date—Ben’s bone-
shakingly loud, cathartic sound
might help clear out some Trump-
era angst. BedCom label boss Val-
geir Sigurðsson co-headlines. JR
Hungry For Apples?
Rick & Morty Pub Quiz
Nov. 15, 20:00, Húrra, Free!
Where’s my wife? Having died
from a heart attack in the carpet
store you might have thought your
life was over, but no worries, you
are still alive and can, therefore,
get schwifty at the Rick and Morty
Pub Quiz at Húrra. You can get as
drunk as Rick and as logical as
Bird Person. So call Mrs. Refriger-
ator, bring your Mr. Meeseeks box
and Cronenberg the opposition,
you piece of shit. EÞ
Starkaður Sigurðarson, Auður Lóa Guðnadóttir and Andrea Arnarsdóttir
No need to head for the panic room in this particular home invasion