Reykjavík Grapevine - des. 2021, Blaðsíða 21

Art Picks
21The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 12— 2021
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: events@!rapevine.is
Opening
ÁSMUNDARSALUR
Svona eru Jólin
This chic gallery has a tradition of
Christmas exhibitions dating back
to the 1950s, and they're not going
to miss this year—pandemic or
not. The title of this year's seasonal
celebration translates as "So This
Is Christmas", and the organis-
ers promise "secret artist talks
sprinkled in, if covid permits."
• Opens on December 4th
• Runs until December 23th
KLING & BANG
Flygjur
This non-profit artist run space, es-
tablished by a group of artists some
18 years ago, presents a new group
exhibition by Halla Einarsdóttir,
Hanna Kristín Birgisdóttir and Smári
Rúnar Róbertsson. Although Icelan-
dic, all three artists all now live and
work in Holland and Germany. At 6pm
on the opening day Halla Einarsdót-
tir will do a performance. We’re not
sure what kind of performance—the
information we have about this
exhibit is teasingly enigmatic—so
maybe just rock up and see…
• Opens on December 4th
• Runs until January 23rd
Ongoing
NATIONAL GALLERY OF ICELAND
Of The North
'Of the North' (2001) is created from
Steina Vasulka’s archive of video
recordings of Icelandic nature, shot
from macroscopic and microscopic
viewpoints. So from microbes to
crashing waves and melting ice, this
is a visual document of the forma-
tion and destruction of our planet.
• Runs until January 9th
Hello Universe
It's 2021, and we're so over Earth;
cue the entrance of Finnur Jónsson.
The avant-garde art of Finnur—the
first Icelandic artist to address
outer space in his works, in the
early 20th century—presents the
artist's unfettered interpretation of
the marvels of the celestial bodies.
Always remember: we are but
matter experiencing itself on a pale
blue dot.
• Runs until January 9th
Muggur
Gu"mundur Thorsteinsson, widely
known by his artist name, Muggur,
was also known for his captivating
personality. While his artistic career
may have been relatively brief—he
died at the age 32—he lived a full
and adventurous life. This fact is
evident in this exhibit which depicts
scenes from his travels around the
world, as well as around his native
Iceland. His worlds of fantasy are
also on display here, among works
showcasing various other themes.
• Runs until February 13th
EINAR JÓNSSON MUSEUM
Permanent Exhibition
In 1909 Einar Jónsson—described
on the museum's website as
"Iceland's first sculptor"—o#ered
all of his works as a gi$ to the
Icelandic people, on the condition
that a museum be built to house
them.
The resulting edifice, constructed
just over the road from
Hallgrímskirkja, now contains close
to 300 artworks. There is also a
beautiful garden with 26 bronze
casts of the artist’s sculptures to
enjoy.
REYKJAVÍK CITY MUSEUM
Settlement Exhibition
This permanent exhibition— where
Viking ruins meet digital technol-
ogy—provides insight into Reykja-
vík's farms at the time of the first
settlers. Archaelogical remains
uncovered on site dating back to
871 AD surround you.
HAFNARBORG
Songbirds
On a trip to Cuba some time ago, Ice-
landic artist Katrín Elvarsdóttir noticed
caged songbirds adorning windows
of local homes, as many tourists to the
island do. In her work, Katrín compares
the loneliness of these isolated birds
with the human experience of isola-
tion.
• Runs until January 16th

REYKJAVÍK MARITIME MUSEUM
Fish & Folk
Name a better duo than fish and
Iceland. You can’t. So come learn
about the history of Icelandic
fisheries from row boats to
monstrous trawlers.
Melckmeyt 1659
Melckmeyt was a Dutch merchant
ship that crashed near Flatey Island
in 1659. Explore the wreck here.
with two images of di#erent origins
against each other.
GER%ARSAFN
Debatable Lands: Dialogues from
Shared Worlds
This is a mid-career retrospective of
the 20-year collaboration between
artists Bryndís Snæbjörnsdóttir and
Mark Wilson. Snæbjörnsdóttir and
Wilson approach their art partnership
with an ecological and pluralistic view.
In a research-based practice, they
prompt discussion and thought about
our changing world, and our own
human role in those changes.
• Runs until January 9th

MUSEUM OF DESIGN AND APPLIED ART
Kristín "orkelsdóttir
You've probably seen Kristín &orkels-
dóttir’s work before, though you
might not know it. She’s designed the
packaging of countless foodstu#s,
as well as Icelandic banknotes and
other famous items. Come trace her
progression as an artist.
• Runs until December 30th

HARBINGER
Splitting The Wig / Flipping The Lid
This is a joint show duo by Califor-
nian Rollin Hunt and Reykvíkingur
Hrafnkell Gu"mundsson. Other
than that, we can tell you very little
except that it might be about UFOs.
We’ll let the poetic press release
speak: “Meanwhile unknown objects
fly through the air / Unlike ghosts
they wear a metallic guise of sci-
ence / The metallic embodiment of a
spirit / The UFO has decimated what
we know.”
• Runs until December 18th

REYKJAVÍK MUSEUM OF PHOTOGRAPHY
The Return of the King
Artist and photographer Sigmur"ur
Unnar Birgisson marries floral
images by the late photographer
Hjálmar R. Bár"arson with strikingly
simple photographs of eldery Ice-
landic men. The union feels a touch
unusual, but at the same time quite
harmonious.
• Runs until December 12
NORDIC HOUSE
Time Matter Remains Trouble
The interplay between matter and
time is the focus of this exhibition
featuring artists Alice Creischer,
Anna Líndal, Anna Rún Tryggvadóttir,
Bjarki Bragason and nabbteeri. They
urge us to remember that creation,
preservation and decay is a natural
progression faced by humans,
objects and ideas alike.
• Runs until December 21st
REYKJAVÍK ART MUSEUM '
KJARVALSSTA%IR
Gu#n$ Rósa Ingimarsdóttir: opus-
oups
Gu"n( lives and works in French-
speaking Belgium. The word 'opus'
denotes a piece of artwork, while
'oups' is French for 'oops'. Paired to-
gether the words demonstrate that
art that can come from seemingly
inconsequential things. O$en em-
ploying found, forgotten or formerly
used materials, Gu"ny brings the
essense of 'opus-oups' to life.
• Runs until January 16th
Budding Earth
Swedish sculptor Carl Boutard and
Icelandic sculptor Ásmundur Sveins-
son are featured in Ásmundar-
salur’s current exhibition, Budding
Earth. When the work of the two is
presented together, each shines a
light on the creations of the other to
o#er a view distinct from that if they
were considered conseparately.
With strong themes of nature, move-
ment and human life, this exhibition
allows you to rethink the interplay
of these things and ultimately, make
the experience of the work all your
own.
• Runs until February 6th
HVERFISGALLERÍ
Recondestruction
Following a devastating avalanche in
Sigl)ör"ur, artist Hrafnkell Sigur"s-
son saw opportunity among the
damage. Nature might break lives
down into particles, but perhaps
it’s the role of art to put them back
together. What is the artist telling us
through this exhibition? That once
our reality has been dismantled,
categorized and analyzed, this is the
only way to reassemble it.
• Runs until February 12th
NATIONAL MUSEUM OF ICELAND
The Portrait Collection
The artistic journey Hulda
Stefánsdóttir took in publishing
her book ‘Time Map’ inspired the
creation of her newest exhibition.
The pandemic has, for better or
worse, made all of us stop and
reconsider time—likely more
than ever before. For Hulda, it’s
no di#erent. Pay a visit to BERG
Contemporary to press pause on
your own timeline.
• Runs until January 2nd
REYKJAVÍK ART MUSEUM ' HAFNARHÚS
Attempting The Embrace
Have you ever walked outside on a
perfect spring day? The air is neither
warm nor cold. If you close your eyes
and extend your arms away from
you, it can o$en feel as if the barrier
between body and space is blurred.
That’s the experience Reykjavík-
based artist Claire Paugam aims to
deliver through this exhibition, which
investigates the dynamics linking
the human body and its environment.
• Runs until December 5th
Abrakadabra
The newest exhibition at Hafnarhús
aims to open the world of contem-
porary art up to a new generation of
art enthusiasts, namely children and
young adults. The works on display
are all in the permanent collection
of the Reykjavík Art Museum.
• Runs until March 20th
BERG CONTEMPORARY
Dieter Roth, Graphic Works
What you wear o$en reveals who
you are, and Sunna Örlygsdóttir
understands this as well as anyone.
Her fascination with the process of
garment making is evident in her
curious and captivating creations.
• Runs until December 23th
December 3rd — January 6th

Kökur Eru Málverk, Málverk Eru
Kökur
Until Dec 17th - Listasal Mosfellsbæjar,
Kjarna, &verholti 2
“Cakes Are Paint-
ings, Paintings
Are Cakes”, to
translate its title,
is an installation
comprising paint-
ings, sculptures
and found materi-
als. Its inspira-
tion comes from
cakes and other
desserts—both
appetising and
disgusting—and
the interaction
of mankind with
his environment
and his con-
sumer culture.
Artist Valger"ur
*r Walderhaug,
who recently
graduated from
the University of
Trondheim, cre-
ates cakes from
plaster, paint and
other materials
that are more
o$en used in
artistic creation
than in cooking.
She also uses
asparagus, which
obviously should
never be used
for anything. The
creations emerge
from a chaotic
experimental pro-
cess, the environ-
ment for which
resembles a
kitchen where ev-
erything is now in
order a$er a long,
manic night of
extreme baking.
Mosfellsbær Art
Gallery is located
inside Mosfells-
bær Library, and
entry is free. JP

Ljósabasar
Until Dec 19th - N(ló, Grandagar"ur 20
For the third year
in a row, N(ló
celebrates the
shortening of the
day by honoring
the light. This
year's showing is
a diverse bunch,
but all the works
are connected to
light in some
sense. Light
makes the world
visible and leads
us to various des-
tinations, deep-
rooted and real,
high-pitched and
poetic, fabricated
and distorted. JP
MUSEUM OF DESIGN
AND APPLIED ART
GAR!ATORG 1
210 GAR!ABÆR
OPEN TUE–SUN 12–17
WWW.HONNUNARSAFN.IS Instagram Facebook honnunarsafn
EXHIBITIONS
KRISTÍN "ORKELSDÓTTIR UNTIL 30.12.
BEHIND SCENES
ARCHIVING ARCHITECTURAL DRAWINGS
OF HÖGNA SIGUR!AR DÓTTIR
UNTIL 27.02.22
RESIDENCY
SUNNA ÖRLYGSDÓTTIR
FASHION DESIGNER UNTIL 30.12.
BEST BOOK DESIGN FROM ALL OVER
THE WORLD 2020–2021 UNTIL 12.12.

Yfir!efin List
Until Jan 30th - Reykjavík Museum Of
Photography, Tryggvagata 15
Abandoned
farmsteads in the
Icelandic coun-
tryside have long
inspired the work
of Gu"mundur
Óli Pálmason. His
creations present
fragments from
the past, captured
using old photog-
raphy meth-
ods. The artist
o$en leaves these
works where the
photo was taken,
for anyone to find
and own. JP

Snowland Art
Dec 4th until Dec 23rd - &ULA,
Hjartatorg (vi" Laugaveg 21)
Ásdís &ula,—the
owner of the &ULA
gallery—came
across Snowland
Art School in the
small Chinese
town of Labrang
while travelling in
2017. Inspired by
the work of the
students and the
school’s founder,
Kristel Ouwehand,
Ásdís decided to
show these re-
markable pieces
created by Kristel
and the pupils. JP