Reykjavík Grapevine - 10.05.2019, Page 2

Elín Elísabet is an illus-
trator and cartoonist
born and raised in
Borgarnes. At the
tender age of 15, Elín
moved to Reykjavík
and hasn’t looked
back, except for the
annual springtime
impulse to move
someplace quiet
and keep chickens.
Elín likes folk music,
stationery, seal vid-
eos, the country of
Ireland, and eggs.
Hannah Jane Cohen
is based out of Ice-
land by way of New
York. An alumni of
Columbia University,
Hannah has lived
on five continents
and speaks three
languages fluently.
Her visionary work is
known for expand-
ing the definitions of
emotion, introspec-
tion, and above all
else, taste.
John Rogers is an
Englishman who first
joined Grapevine
as a music writer,
later graduating to
Managing Editor. A
constant traveller
and a lover of art,
culture, food & night-
life, he edits our Best
of Reykjavík, Best of
Iceland, and Iceland
Airwaves sister
publications. His first
book, “Real Life,” was
published in 2014.
Art Bicnick is a man
of mystery, moving
like the wind through
the parties, soirées,
openings and sociali-
ate events of Rey-
kjavík. Sometimes he
can be seen abroad
in the countryside,
braving the spray
of a waterfall or the
frozen glacier air.
Always, he will have a
camera, document-
ing the moves of his
writer companion.
Sveinbjörn Pálsson
is our Art Director.
He's responsible for
the design of the
magazine and the
cover photography.
When he's not work-
ing here, he DJs as
Terrordisco, hosts
the Funkþátturinn
radio show, or sits at
a table in a Laugarda-
lur café, drinking
copious amounts of
coffee and thinking
about fonts.
Shruthi Basappa
traded the warmth
of Indian summers
for Iceland's Arctic
winds. She's a food
enthusiast masquer-
ading as an architect
at Sei Studio, and
loves obsessive
attention to detail.
When not leading
our Best of Reykjavík
food panel, she can
be found trying to
become a Michelin
restaurant inspector.
Andie Fontaine has
lived in Iceland since
1999 and has been
reporting since 2003.
They were the first
foreign-born mem-
ber of the Icelandic
Parliament, in 2007-
08, an experience
they recommend for
anyone who wants
to experience a
workplace where
colleagues work tire-
lessly to undermine
each other.
Aliya Uteuova is a
reporting intern
all the way from
Kazakhstan. She
studied journalism
in Maine and
reported on ocean
acidification, rising
sea levels, and
marine crustaceans
(i.e. lobsters). Her
fascination with sea
life brought her to
Iceland where she
thoroughly enjoys
the coastline.
Lóa Hlín Hjálmtýsdóttir
is a national treasure.
One of Iceland's
leading illustra-
tors, when she's
not drawing in her
unique style, she's
the front-woman of
Icelandic electro-
pop supergroup FM
Belfast. Her comic
strip Lóaboratorium
appears every issue
on page 8, and is also
available as a daily
dose on her Twitter.
First 10: Aron The Annihilator Heads To Qatar12: Are Actually Gonna Win Eurovision? 14: Hatari Take On The World In Israel
20: Anna Maggý's
Searching Eye
30: Marteinn Sindri's
Musical Atlas
31: The Ultimate Iceland
Road Trip Playlist
41: A Mushroom Trip
In Flúðir
34: Girl: A Tale Of
Gender Dysphoria
44: Skaftafell: A Natural
Wonderland
Here's an unpopular
opinion, at least among
Icelanders: I have a lot of sympathy
with the Israeli nation when it comes
to its conflict with Hamas. The history
is complicated, but at the end of the day,
Israelis are trying to ensure their coun-
try's safety. It’s not easy to live with the
constant threat of an air missile strik-
ing (and vice versa). We need to keep in
mind that Isreal has lost a lot of lives in
the war against the extremists in Pales-
tine throughout the years, and keep in
mind the Palestinians are also occupied
by idiotic and dangerous domestic poli-
tics. No state has endured such an attack
against their citizens.
That said, I fully condemn the way
Israel has treated the Palestinian nation
and the thousands of lives that have been
lost in this mindless war.
The Palestinian nation is not Hamas.
There haven’t been democratic elections
in Palestine since 2005. The Palestinian
nation is occupied by one of the strong-
est military states in the world as well as
the thug extremists of Hamas. There is
no justification for bombing the Pales-
tinian nation so viciously because of the
acts of an extremist party. Both nations
suffer from bad politics. The Likud
party’s interests and those of Hamas are
tied together: in war.
My sympathies lies with the people
of Israel and Palestine; not with the fear
mongering politics of the Likud party or
the criminality of Hamas. Both are guilty
of war crimes. Both are guilty of fuelling
this terror, and people on both sides are
paying the ultimate price.
In the midst of this clash, you have
the most glitter-fuelled song contest in
the world, Eurovision, taking place just
70 kilometers away from the suffering of
the Palestinian nation.
Iceland's contribution is the contro-
versial performance of the nihilistic
post-apocalyptic-anti-capitalistic-BDSM
band Hatari. They have been criticised
for participating in the competition,
while that criticism should rightly be
directed at the Icelandic government,
and state broadcaster RÚV.
So how do you go and perform for
hundreds of millions, in these fireworks
of tacky pop music, with so much suffer-
ing just an arm’s length away? You raise
your voice and point out that it is not
normal. In that way, Hatari is like the
child in the “Emperor’s New Clothes.”
They highlight the hypocrisy of the whole
affair. The local rules are to smile and to
pretend there is nothing going on. Hatari
have refused to do that. And it is a noble
stand in a complicated situation. It’s a
peaceful form of protest.
I know it's easy to say that the reality of
the Middle East is far from the Icelan-
dic one, and that it is impossible for
us to understand. But we know some-
thing better than most nations in the
world, and that is peace. And we know
that peace is not a given. Not for a small
island with no army, nor a borderline
army state like Israel that have suffered
from persecution throughout time. And
we know that one of the most important
ground rules for peace is to listen and
to engage in a democratic discussion.
Hatari sings about the hate that will
prevail if that doesn’t happen. If hate is
the only thing you can hear when listen-
ing to the song, that will probably be the
outcome. VG
EDITORIAL
ON THE COVER:
Hatari
PHOTO
Cover image:
Baldur Kristjánsson
Assistant: Arnþór Snær
Þorsteinsson
Make-Up: Perla
Hafþórsdóttir
Special thanks:Claus
Sterneck and Áslaug
Guðrúnardóttir at the
Art Museum of Iceland.
ABOUT THE PICTURE:
The day before Hatari
went to Tel Aviv to
compete in Eurovision,
we grabbed them for
a portrait session, and
their most revealing
interview to date. Read
it on page 14.
Exposing Hate
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