Reykjavík Grapevine - Feb 2021, Page 2

First 08: VISUAL ARTS SURVIVE
07: Oooph... Shots Fired
At The Mayor...
06: #GoogleLies
26: Helen Cova Speaks
18: Sturle Dagsland ^_^
23: Cute Children Spill
The Tea On Iceland
When COVID-19
hit, we did not
only need to face
t h e d e a d l i e s t
virus the human-
kind had seen
for a century, we
needed to reeval-
uate our world view. In the slow state
of things, we were finally forced to
rethink simple ideas, the same ideas
the gurus and yoga moms had been
pushing for years, annoying our inner
state of nihilism; what does really
matter? The first answer was quite
simple. Our loved ones. Of course. Our
state of democracy was there, some-
where on the list. Also our empathy for
our neighbours and other members of
the society that we didn’t even know.
Because at the end of the day, comply-
ing with disease prevention is noth-
ing less than a compassionate act to
protect those that are vulnerable in our
community. It’s a sacrifice, we under-
stand, but it’s not in vain.
But we also found that we needed
more. It was not enough to sit at home,
with our loved ones and zooming with
our friends, complying with our scien-
tists. This was the moment that we
realised that culture is vital. Not only to
fill our hearts with something essential
but to challenge our minds and push
our boundaries. In Iceland, surpris-
ingly TV shows with music became a
hit, like ‘Heima Me! Helga Björns’. We
revisited old movies we liked and we
listened to music to cheer ourselves
up. But one of the clearest indications
for our need of art, was the unexpected
success of art galleries in Iceland in the
pandemic. Many of them are seeing
record sales of artwork, and it’s not
only the established artist that is doing
well, but young artists, too. The future
of visual arts in Iceland is blossoming.
We decided to talk to experts and
get a list from them of the most promi-
nent young artists in Iceland right now.
Our criteria was simple: they can’t be
older than 35 years old. And what we
found, was that this interest is no fluke.
Icelandic visual arts is not only bright,
it’s quite brilliant as it is diverse. And
what we realised in the process, is that
art is still the core of us all. It’s part of
our reevaluation of our existence, and
what’s more, it inspires us to push
forward, change the world, change
ourselves, even change everything. I
know it sounds dramatic, but it’s pain-
fully simple at the same time. You can
find our feature about the future of
visual artists at page 8.

Valur Grettisson
Editor-in-chief
The Core
John Pearson is a Rey-
kjavík resident who
combines writing with
professional back-
grounds in music,
broadcasting, scuba
diving, engineering
and underwater
photography. He loves
puns, alliteration and
lists that have three
things in them.
Hannah Jane Cohen is
based out of Iceland
by way of New York.
She's known for her
love of Willa Ford,
David Foster Wallace,
and other such
"intellectuals." Her
visionary work is
known for expand-
ing the definitions of
emotion, introspec-
tion, and above all
else, taste. Hannah is
also the current Drag
King of Iceland, HANS.
Poll! is a hard-work-
ing journalist by day
and an enthusiastic
ball-catcher by
night. A four-year-old
dachshund mix with
an IQ of a five-year-
old human, Poll! has
been the o"cial
Chief Of Morale at
the Grapevine for
eight months and is
a regular contribu-
tor to the Grape-
vine Newscast on
YouTube. Woof.
Shruthi Basappa is
one of Iceland's most
knowledgeable food-
ies. She's covered
local restaurants for
years and has also
been involved in vari-
ous food competi-
tions in Iceland, such
as Food & Fun and
more. By day, she
works as an architect
at Sei Studio.
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 Funk#átturinn
radio show, or sits at
a table in a Laugarda-
lur café, drinking
copious amounts of
co$ee and thinking
about fonts.
Art Bicnick is an
international man
of mystery. He
moves like a shadow
through the subcul-
tures and soirees
of Reykjavík, never
still, o%en ghosting
the scene in a pu$
of blue smoke—the
exhaust fumes of the
elusive, well-travelled
Bicnick Mini.
Andie Sophia Fontaine
has lived in Iceland
since 1999 and has
been reporting since
2003. They were the
first foreign-born
member of the
Icelandic Parliament,
an experience they
recommend for
anyone who wants
to experience a
workplace where
colleagues work tire-
lessly to undermine
each other.
Owen Tyrie is a young
journo straight out
of Cheshire, England.
A%er studying
journalism for three
years in Leeds, he
has recently moved
out to Reykjavik in
order to pursue his
dream of becom-
ing Icelandic. He’s a
film fanatic, gaming
enthusiast and most
of all, ginger. Oh, and
he loves tea.
Valur Grettisson is
an award-winning
journalist, author
and playwright. He
has been writing for
Icelandic media since
2005. He was also a
theatre critic and
one of the hosts of
the cultural program,
'Djöflaeyjan' at RÚV.
Valur is not to be
confused with the
dreadful football club
that bears the same
name.
EDITORIAL
31: Diving Daví!sgjá
28: Sum Dim Sum!
30: GrapeStop Stock
Goes To The Moon
COVER ART:
Illustration by
"órdís Erla Zoëga, one of
the artists featured in
this issue.
&órdís Erla Zoëga (b.1988)
is a visual artist based
in Reykjavík, Iceland.
She received her BFA
degree from the Audio
Visual department of The
Gerrit Rietveld Academy,
Amsterdam, Netherlands
in 2012 and has since
exhibited widely in
Iceland and abroad, i.e.
Stockholm, Berlin, Basel,
Amsterdam and more.
Visit her website at
thordiserlazoega.is
ARTISAN BAKERY
& COFFEE HOUSE
OPEN EVERYDAY 6.30 - 21.00
LAUGAVEGUR 36 · 101 REYKJAVIK