Reykjavík Grapevine - jan. 2022, Síða 21

Art Picks
21The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 01— 2022
Art Exhibitions
For complete listin!s and detailed information on
venues, visit !rapevine.is/happenin!.
Send your listin!s to: events@!rapevine.is
Opening
EXETER HOTEL GALLERY
Daughter Of Ice, Light and Fire
Inspired by natural forces, French
artist Georgette Yvette Ponté por-
trays the beauty of Iceland through
the female torso. The paintings take
on a new dimension in the dark,
when the silhouettes of the women
take on the colours of the aurora
borealis. This pop-up exhibition is in
Reykjavík for one day only, so pop it
in your diary.
• Opens on January 29th
• Runs until January 30th
GER"ARSAFN KÓPAVOGUR ART MUSEUM
Ad Infinitum
Icelandic artists Elín Hansdóttir and
Úlfur Hansson work in Berlin and New
York respectively, but have come
together to create this installation
exploring the borders between the
art that we see, and that which we
hear. Elín’s approach is to create
challenging immersive visuals, while
Úlfur’s specialism in audio creation
leads him to create sounds specific
to the space.
• Opens on January 14th
• Runs until March 27th
Past Perfect
• Although he now lives in Sweden
and was educated in the USA, artist
Santiago Mostyn grew up in Zimba-
bwe and Trinidad and Tobago. This
exhibition of photography and video
media explores that experience,
employing footage of historical
events, politicians and cultural
figures. Past Perfect is a landscape
where stories of colonialism, slavery,
legends and personal experience
converge.
• Opens on January 14th
• Runs until March 27th
HAFNARBORG CENTRE OF CULTURE AND
FINE ARTS
A Few Thoughts on Photography –
Vol. III
Photographer Hallger#ur Hall-
grímsdóttir explores how taking a
photograph can seem so simple—
”just the push of a button”—mak-
ing the resulting image almost an
objet trouvé rather than a creation.
But creative it is; mysterious and
emotional, with aesthetics and
instincts coming into play. And yet,
at the same time, the process of
photography is decidedly rooted in
the scientific.
• Opens on January 22nd
• Runs until March 2022
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 bod-
ies. Always remember: we are but
matter experiencing itself on a pale
blue dot.
• Runs until January 9th
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…
• Runs until January 23rd
EINAR JÓNSSON MUSEUM
Permanent Exhibition
In 1909 Einar Jónsson—described
on the museum's website as "Ice-
land's first sculptor"—o$ered all of
his works as a gi% to the Icelandic
people, on the condition that a mu-
seum be built to house them.
The resulting edifice, constructed
just over the road from Hallgrím-
skirkja, 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 CENTRE OF CULTURE AND
FINE ARTS
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
Long Are The Trials Of Men
&orvaldur &orsteinsson was a
highly prolific artist who made use
of most artistic media over his
career, including music and writing
in the form of novels, plays and
poetry. However this retrospective
exhibit features the visual aspects
to &orvaldur’s creativity, focusing on
the sculptures, installation pieces,
paintings and video which bear tes-
tament to his diverse creativity.
• Runs until February 20th

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 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 art-
ists 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

CULTURE HOUSE
Treasures Of A Nation
The Culture House was built in 1909,
and was the first purpose-built gal-
lery in Iceland. Towering above the
surrounding town at the time, it was
a popular spot to take in the natural
vistas which have inspired local art-
ists for centuries. This exhibit brings
together a selection of paintings
from the National Gallery, all inspired
by Iceland and created from the
19th century onwards.
• Runs until May 31st

GALLERY UNDERPASS
Matador
Matador is a game of real estate
created by artist Einar Garibaldi Ei-
riksson, and resembles the pastime
known internationally as Monopoly.
In both games, contestants buy land
with unreal money, then use more
unreal money to build houses and
hotels on it. The object is to screw
other people over when an unlucky
roll of the dice lands them some-
where that they didn’t choose to be.
Sound familiar?
• Runs until January 31st

REYKJAVÍK MUSEUM OF PHOTOGRAPHY
Yfirgefin List
Derelict farmsteads in the Icelandic
countryside have long inspired
Gu#mundur Óli Pálmason, who docu-
ments them using old photography
methods and uses the images to
create fragments from the past.
The artist o%en leaves these works
where the photo was taken for
anyone to find and take home,
leading to the exhibition title which
translates as “abandoned art”.
• Runs until January 30th
REYKJAVÍK ART MUSEUM '
KJARVALSSTA"IR
Opus-Oups
Artist Gu#n( Rósa Ingimarsdóttir
lives and works in French-speaking
Belgium. The word 'opus' denotes
a piece of artwork, while 'oups' is
French for 'oops'. Paired together
the words demonstrate that art that
can come from seemingly incon-
sequential things. O%en employing
found, forgotten or formerly used
materials, Gu#ny Rósa brings the
essense of 'opus-oups' to life.
• Runs until January 16th
Budding Earth
Sculptors Carl Boutard and Ás-
mundur Sveinsson explore natural
design, where things take form
through the interplay of rule, repeti-
tion and deviation.
• Runs until February 6th
Kjarval And The Contemporary
This site of the Reykjavík Art Museum
is named a%er the painter Jóhannes
S. Kjarval, indicating his central
role in the story of 20th century
Icelandic art. Kjarval’s influence
is highlighted by his work being
placed in conversation with pieces
by contemporary Icelandic artists
such as Ragnar Kjartansson and
Gu#rún Einarsdóttir.
• Runs until January 16th
HVERFISGALLERÍ
Recondestruction
Following a devastating avalanche
in Siglu)ör#ur, artist Hrafnkell Sig-
ur#sson saw opportunity among the
damage. Nature might smash lives,
but perhaps it’s the role of art to put
them back together. Perhaps once
our reality has been dismantled,
categorized and analyzed, art is the
only way to reassemble it.
• Runs until February 12th
REYKJAVÍK ART MUSEUM ' HAFNARHÚS
A Bra Ka Da Bra -
The Magic Of Contemporary Art
This exhibition aims to open the
world of contemporary art up to a
new generation. The titular magic
word links magic and art in the
wonder that both can conjure up in
children and young people.
• Runs until March 20th
January 7th — February 3rd

Public Pools
Jan 22nd to Sep 25th - Museum Of
Desi!n & Applied Art, Gar#ator! 1, 210
Gar#abær
The outdoor, geo-
thermal pool is
the most interest-
ing public sphere
in Iceland. A place
where strangers
cross paths and
acquaintances
meet, it serves a
purpose similar
to the plaza in
warmer climes,
the pub in Eng-
land or the café
in France. It is a
source of wellbe-
ing, and a part of
everyday life. This
exhibition traces
the development
of public pools
in Iceland from
the beginning of
the 20th century,
when the focus
was on learn-
ing, hygiene and
physical educa-
tion. It illustrates
how play later
became a key
element, then
brings us to the
present when a
pleasurable, spa-
like experience
is o%en the goal.
Architects and
designers of vari-
ous disciplines
have taken a part
in shaping this
story, in collabo-
ration with the
public, the sta$
at the pools and
the municipalities
which operate
them. The result—
a collective e$ort
by society—is
design at its very
best. JP

Dieter Roth
Until January 29th - i8 Gallery,
Tryggvagata 16
German-born
artist Dieter Roth
moved to Reykja-
vík in the 1950s to
marry a local lady
and, being one of
Europe’s leading
postwar artists,
he inevitably had
a strong e$ect on
Icelandic creative
culture. This
exhibition o$ers
some of the art-
ist’s finest pieces
with a focus on
sculpture and
paper media. 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
BATHING CULTURE 22.01 – 25.09.
BEHIND SCENES
ARCHIVING ARCHITECTURAL DRAWINGS
OF HÖGNA SIGUR!AR DÓTTIR
UNTIL 13.03.
RESIDENCY
STUDIO ALLSBER
PRODUCT DESIGNERS 11.01 – 08.05.
BEST BOOK DESIGN FROM ALL OVER
THE WORLD 2020–2021 UNTIL 30.01.

Mu!!ur
Until February 13th - National Gallery
of Iceland, Fríkirkjuvegi 7
Gu#mundur
Thorsteinsson led
a full life, though it
was cut short by
tuberculosis. This
exhibit presents a
wide selection of
his work, created
under his artist
name Muggur,
including scenes
from his global
travels, images of
a merciful Christ
curing the sick,
and Muggur’s
fantasy worlds
where princesses
live in castles and
trolls lurk. JP

Erró The Traveller
Until Mar 27th - Reykjavík Art
Museum, Hafnarhús, Tryggvagata 17
Gu#mundur Gu#-
mundsson—ubiq-
uitously known
as Erró—has
arguably the high-
est international
profile of any
Icelandic visual
artist. His activities
have taken him
all around the
world. This exhibi-
tion—selected
from work that
he has donated
to the Reykjavík
Art Museum—is
curated around a
travel theme. JP