Reykjavík Grapevine - nóv. 2019, Blaðsíða 40

The Reykjavík Grapevine
Best of Reykjavík 2019
40
Al fresco art
Start at the Einar Jónsson Muse-
um, which is located in the heart
of Reykjavík, right next to Hall-
grímskikrja and presents a great
place to learn about Icelandic art
history. While there’s an entrance
fee for the museum, the serene
sculpture garden around back is
free to visit. It includes 26 statues
placed there by Einar Jónsson and
his wife, who used to live on the
top floor of the museum. Pro-tip:
Don’t miss out on the mysterious
“King of Atlantic” sculpture, as
well as the figurative represen-
tation of spring.
Tiny spaces of
inspiration
After leaving the sculpture gar-
den head over to Skólavörðustígur
to check out some of the gallery
shops lining the street. If you‘re
interested in photography swing
by at Fótógrafí, a tiny space
crammed with a camera collec-
tion and cool black and white
prints on the walls. You can buy
some artwork for yourself but if
you want to make it a no-spend-
ing day, just skim.
Mural, Mural
on the wall
As you venture on, you will soon
notice that Reykjavík also offers a
great deal of contemporary street
art, so take a jaunt to the corner
of Laugavegur and Klapparstígur
to discover a building entirely
covered in a mind-boggling mu-
ral. The work was commissioned
for Iceland Airwaves 2015 and is
called ‘Ode to Mother,’ inspired
by the Ylja song ‘Óður til Móður’
(other murals from that Airwaves
series can be seen by along Lau-
gavegur, by Hlemmur, on the
backside of Gamla Bío, and in the
old harbour). Keep your eyes open
for smaller murals and graffiti,
which change the face of the city
as you continue your stroll.
A walk around Tjörnin
Next, head downhill to the shores
of Tjörnin to marvel at statues by
various artists. One of the most
popular is Halla Gunnarsdóttir’s
likeness of Tómas Guðmundsson
perched on a city bench, an Ice-
landic poet famous for praising
the city’s beauty. So sit down on
the bench next to him and enjoy
the view over the pond while re-
flecting on his poem ‘Hotel Earth’
from 1933: “It‘s a curious journey
this human life we lead, we are
the guests and our hotel is the
earth. While some check out, oth-
ers arrive instead.”
Behind Tómas is Einar Jóns-
son’s imposing The Spell Broken,
and further down the pond-side
path is the Women’s Sculpture
Garden, featuring the works of
several female artists.
The Nordic House
On your final stop, enter the uni-
versity district where you can
kill two birds with one stone by
visiting the Nordic House. First-
ly, the building is a masterpiece
designed by the Finnish architect
Alvar Aalto. Inside though, you
can enjoy more art for free. The
venue is notorious for providing a
platform for Nordic artists, host-
ing several exhibitions each year
ranging from design awards to
Greenlandic photographers.
So there you go! Are you feel-
ing more cultured? Now, take that
money you just saved on your ar-
tistic afternoon, and buy yourself
an ice cream. You deserve it.
“It‘s a curious journey this human life we
lead, we are the guests and our hotel is the
earth. While some check out, others arrive
instead.”
CULTURE GUIDE
Save That Cash,
Get Some Culture
How to enjoy art for free in Reykjavík
Words & photos: Lea Müller
Culturally immersing yourself in Iceland can be an expensive
undertaking. But it doesn’t have to be. You can discover artistic
masterpieces and cultural curios free of charge while wandering
the streets of Reykjavík. So if you’re an art-enthusiast on a bud-
get, let us take you on a two-hour stroll through town.
Kerið volcanic crater
(entrance fee included)
Faxi waterfall
Geysir geothermal area
Gullfoss waterfall
Þingvellir National Park
Availability: Daily
Pickup starts: 8:00
Duration: 8 hours
Grand
Golden
Circle
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2
3
4
5
5
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2
Reykjavík
Selfoss
Þingvellir Geysir Gullfoss
Kerið
Faxi
1
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