Reykjavík Grapevine - 25.10.2019, Page 27
Our Picks
27The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 19— 2019
Art Listin!s
Events are listed by venue. For complete
listin!s and detailed information on venues,
visit !rapevine.is/happenin!.
Send your listin!s to: listin!s@!rapevine.is
Opening
DEIGLAN
Only The Cold Air Can Wake Me
Monade Li presents three experi-
mental art videos, two of them are
in homage to Ingmar Bergman’s
film 'Persona,' and question the
duplication and metamorphosis of
the human being. The third is titled
'The Selkie' and will be screened for
the first time here. Based on a seal-
woman legend, it tells of a female
character’s will to reach the sea and
never be a woman again.
• Opens on October 26th, 2019
• Runs until October 27th, 2019
GALLERY PORT
"a# sem fer í hring
In the exhibition “"a# sem fer
í hring,” Icelandic artist Kristín
Morthens explores the circular form
through abstract paintings. The
pieces are visual collages contain-
ing fluid, organic forms painted with
oil and are interrupted by matte
sprayed surfaces reminiscent of old
digital image processing programs,
sometimes letting the circles float,
other times drowning them.
• Opens on October 26th, 2019
• Runs until November 7th, 2019
Ongoing
NATIONAL GALLERY OF ICELAND
Treasures Of A Nation
A selection of over 80 works chosen
from the national gallery’s collec-
tion displays the evolution of art
since the 19th century.
• Runs until December 31st, 2019
Violin Power 1
In this autonomous work, observe
Steina‘s development as an artist,
from playing the violin in her youth
and dancing in later years, to sing-
ing along to the Beatles‘ "Let it Be"
as a stoical, mature artist.
• Runs until December 31st, 2019
EINAR JÓNSSON MUSEUM
Permanent Exhibition
The museum contains close to
300 artworks including a beautiful
garden with 26 bronze casts of the
artist’s sculptures.
REYKJAVÍK CITY MUSEUM
Settlement Sagas
As Viking ruins meet digital technol-
ogy, this exhibition provides insight
into Reykjavík's farms at the time of
the first settlers.
REYKJAVÍK ART MUSEUM $
ÁSMUNDARSAFN
Ásmundur Sveinsson: Under the
Same Sky - Art In Public Space
Ásmundarsafn is named a%er sculp-
tor Ásmundur Sveinsson. This new
permanent exhibition presents the
artist in a new light. What dialogue
does his works provoke?
• Runs until December 31st, 2019
Helgi Gíslason: Where The
Boundaries Lie
Helgi Gíslason presents a series of
sculptures from di&erent periods
of his career. In his work, Helgi deals
with man and the human condi-
tion. His works, though, are up for
interpretation.
• Runs until November 3rd, 2019
REYKJAVÍK MUSEUM OF PHOTOGRAPHY
Icelandic Cornershops
In the mid-80s, small shops were
found on every street corner of
the city, serving as more than just
grocery shops but rather as social
centres, where people gathered to
chat, catch up, and exchange news.
This exhibit celebrates that lost
piece of history.
• Runs until November 5th, 2019
Encounters - Nordic Photography
Beyond Borders
This exhibit is characterised by
social and political overtones. In the
works, ways are explored of visualis-
ing “encounters“ between subjects,
thus drawing attention to major
issues like immigration, changes to
land- and cityscapes, or the local
impacts of globalisation.
• Runs until January 12th, 2020
REYKJAVÍK MARITIME MUSEUM
Fish & Folk
Name a better duo than fish and
Iceland. You can’t. So come learn
about the history of Icelandic fisher-
ies from rowing boats to monstrous
motor boats.
Melckmeyt 1659
Melckmeyt was a Dutch merchant
ship that crashed near Flatey Island
in 1659. Explore the wreck here.
REYKJAVÍK ART MUSEUM $ HAFNARHÚS
Erró: Mao's World Tour
Between 1972 and 1980, Erró
painted over 130 paintings, with two
images of di&erent origins against
each other: Chinese propaganda
posters of Mao Zedong and Western
tourist pictures from famous sites.
• Runs until January 5th, 2020
SOMETHING FROM NOTHING: The Visual
Realm Of Magnús Pálsson
Artist Magnús Pálsson is known for
the breadth of his mediums. Here,
selected pieces from the early 60s
until today reflect Magnús's pop/
conceptual philosophies in sculp-
tures, bookworks and two-dimen-
sional works.
• Runs until January 12th, 2020
NATIONAL MUSEUM OF ICELAND
Pike Ward
Around 1900, Englishman Pike Ward
was a well-known figure in Iceland.
The fisherman was an amateur pho-
tographer, focusing on everyday life.
Here, see over 1,500 photos and 300
artifacts the ecctric collected from
his travels around the country.
• Runs until January 12th, 2020
MUSEUM OF DESIGN AND APPLIED ART
Behind The Scenes: Archiving A
Ceramic Collection
In 1979, Anna Eyjólfsdóttir began to
collect ceramic pieces by Icelan-
dic artists. In 2017, the Museum of
aquired her collection. Currently, the
museum is cataloguing the collec-
tion in front of your eyes.
• Runs until October 27th, 2019
NORDIC HOUSE
You never know what you have until
you lose it
In his artwork, Ólafur Sveinsson
wants to bring awareness to the
fragility of Icelandic nature and the
threats posed to it by mankind. The
multimedia exhibition in the Nordic
House shows areas in Iceland that
have already been lost to industrial
development, including before and
a%er pictures of the area around
the infamous Kárahnjúkar power
plant.
• Runs until November 17th, 2019
REYKJAVÍK ART MUSEUM $
KJARVALSSTA'IR
Jóhannes S. Kjarval: Can't Draw a
Harebell
Here, explore the floral works of
Jóhannes S. Kjarval, a%er whom the
museum is named. Be it ornamental
plants, potted plants, or wildflowers,
you'll find it all.
• Runs until December 31st, 2019
ÁRBÆR OPEN AIR MUSEUM
HEIMAt: Two Worlds
To mark the 70th anniversary of the
arrival in 1949 of a group of Germans
to who travelled to Iceland aboard
the Esja ship, this exhibition pres-
ents photographs of their journey
made by Marzena Skubatz.
• Runs until October 31st, 2019
HAFNARBORG
Prison
Olga Bergmann and Anna Hallin
capture the "all-seeing eye" of
surveillance systems, exploring
the concept of prison, both in the
conventional sense within the walls
of detention centers, as well as
beyond into the greater monitoring
of everyday society.
• Runs until October 27th, 2019
GER'ARSAFN KÓPAVOGUR ART MUSEUM
Lots Of Tiny People
The exhibition project 'Lots Of Tiny
People' explores the spiritual, the
unknown, esoterism, and anthro-
posophy. The title is derived from
a blackboard drawing by Austrian
anthroposophist Rudolf Steiner, who
used to draw images to support his
spoken words. In addition to the art-
works on display, there will also be
lectures, cources, and discussions
on the topic of art, man, and spirit.
• Runs until January 5th, 2020
MOKKA KAFFI
INDISTRIA
Photographer Karl R. Lilliendahl pres-
ents a series of works exploring old
industry and flying birds—a state-
ment to mankind on the eve of the
so-called 4th Industrial Revolution.
• Runs until October 27th, 2019
HVERFISGALLERÍ
Djúpalogn
Harpa Árnadóttir embarks on a jour-
ney through her inner landscape,
where the (ord, the creativity and
writing react to each other. The
exhibition has autobiographic atmo-
sphere, shaped by speculations on
the childhood.
• Runs until November 23rd, 2019
KLING & BANG
Í ALVÖRU - REALLY
Kling & Bang's current exhibition
was part of the 2019 Sequences Art
Festival. It features works by Mark
Lewis, James Castle, Emma Hei#ars-
dóttir, Jason de Haan, Karin Sander,
Ceal Floyer, Kristján Gu#mundsson,
Sæmundur "ór Helgason, Kristinn
Gu#brandur Har#arson, Roger Ack-
ling and Hildur Bjarnadóttir.
• Runs until November 17th, 2019
I8
Yui Yaegashi
While at a distance Yaegashi’s small,
unassuming works display a quiet
simplicity, close attention reveals
complex patterning and layers
of detail. Their handling of paint
creates vibrant tensions between
control and chance, precision and
unexpected beauty, compelling us
to look again, more closely.
• Runs until December 7th, 2019
ÁSMUNDARSALUR
Kristinn Gu#brand Har#arson
The Sequence Art Festival’s honor-
ary artist this year was Kristinn
Gu#brand Har#arson, who is known
for personal and poetic processing
of his close environment. The exhibi-
tion in Ásmundarsalur was part of
the festival and features various
di&erent mediums.
• Runs until October 29th, 2019
ÍSLENSK GRAFÍK
Sliding Over The Surface
Anna Paw)owska presents a series
of prints made in the aquatint tech-
nique—an interpretation of optical
phenomena and an attempt to find
a relation between the beam of light
and etching process.
• Runs until November 3rd, 2019
October 25th—November 7th
"a# sem fer í hring
Oct. 26th-Nov. 7th - Gallery Port
In the exhibi-
tion “"a# sem
fer í hring,”
Icelandic artist
Kristín Morthens
explores the
circular form
through abstract
paintings. The
pieces are visual
collages contain-
ing fluid, organic
forms painted
with oil and are
interrupted by
matte sprayed
surfaces reminis-
cent of old digital
image process-
ing programs,
sometimes letting
the circles float,
other times
drowning them.
Though abstract,
Kristín’s paintings
are strangely
relatable. The
images are clearly
an expression
of her personal
experiences and
o%en the circles
refer to some-
thing symbolic.
The magic lies
in the shapes
evoking di&er-
ent emotions in
every spectator.
Whilst you see
a sun, someone
else might see
a nipple. You’ll
probably learn
a lot about your
companion when
discussing the
pieces. LM
Dr. Denise León: How a house is
made
Nov. 6th - 16:30 -
Veröld
Scholar and poet
Dr. Denise León
holds a guest
lecture at the Uni-
versity of Iceland
on contemporary
poetry written
by Argentinian
women. Despite
relative gender
equality, the
country continues
to struggle with
problems like do-
mestic violence.
The event will be
held in English. LM
Bótaník
Until Nov. 1st -
Coocoo’s Nest
Melkorka "orkels-
dóttir, who you
mi!ht know as
DJ Motherfunker
or one half of DJ
Dominatricks, is
all about pris-
min!, holo!raph-
ic, !em-encrust-
ed and obnoxious
artworks. We’d
recommend
wearin! body
!litter and a shiny
outfit if you want
to fit in. HJC
Ólöf Nordal: Ún!l
Until Jan. 5th -
Kjarvalssta#ir
In this mid-career
retrospective,
Ólöf Nordal dis-
sects the struc-
tural material of
mythical tales—
taking old events
and folktales and
putting them
into a modern
context. Enter her
preoccupation
with nature and
connect yourself
to the land. HJC
Gar!atorg 1· Gar!abær
Open Tue - Sun 12 -17
Exhibitions:
Behind the Scenes
Filing of a ceramic collection
Sveinn Kjarval
Furniture and interior designer
Opening 2nd November
Anna María Pitt
Silversmith
Designer in residence
Opening 25th October