Reykjavík Grapevine - May 2022, Page 21

Art Picks
21The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 05— 2022
Art Exhibitions
Gallery openin!s, happenin!s, showin!s and pop-up
exhibitions all around the capital re!ion.
Send details of yours to: events@!rapevine.is
Ongoing
KLING OG BANG
Three Rearrangements -
A Commonality Of Escape
This exhibition features brand new,
site-specific works by Daníel Ágúst
Ágústsson, Pétur Magnússon, Pier
Yves Larouche & Richard Müller. The
enigmatic press release says little
more, and there’s not much on the
gallery website either. But we trust
the peeps at Kling og Bang to always
be on point when it comes to cura-
tion. You know it’s gonna be a goody,
so just go.
• Runs until May 15th
REYKJAVÍK ART MUSEUM ! HAFNARHÚS
Erró: The Power of Images
Erró is undoubtedly Iceland’s best-
known visual artist internationally. The
Reykjavík Art Museum is custodian
of nearly 4000 pieces of the artist's
work a"er he began donating them
in the 1980s, and this exhibition of
more than 300 of them is the most
extensive showing of the artist's works
ever seen in Iceland. Videos, graphics,
multiples and collages—with larger
works in public spaces, and paintings
of all scales— showcase Erro’s eclectic
appropriation of imagery from every
possible domain.
• Runs until September 29th
LISTASALUR MOSFELLSBÆJAR
Wör!ur, vinur mínar
Ever heard of cairns? If you’ve
travelled around Iceland, you may
have bumped into them. A cairn is
a man-made pile of stacked rocks,
usually indicating that hikers are on
the right trail. Greatly valuing envi-
ronmental protection and recycling,
textile artist Anna Maria drew inspi-
ration from these landmarks and
created a series of woven cairns
using second hand materials.
• Runs until May 20th
REYKJAVÍK MUSEUM OF PHOTOGRAPHY
Random Moments
The Museum of Photography has
long been the repository of Iceland’s
photographic history, amassing
more than 6.5 million film-originated
images over the last four decades.
In more recent years, digital tech-
niques have allowed the creation of
an image database to include text
relevant to the image from publica-
tions. This exhibition uses the collec-
tion’s search facility to conjure up
combinations of images through
text, allowing photographic mo-
ments to become related through
particular words.
• Runs until November 19th
MUSEUM OF DESIGN & APPLIED ART
Bathing Culture
The outdoor geothermal pool is the
most interesting public sphere in
Iceland. A place where strangers
cross paths and acquaintances
meet, it is a source of wellbeing
and a major part of everyday life
for many. This exhibition traces the
development of Icelandic bathing
culture, showing how architects and
designers, pool sta# and the public
have together shaped the story.
• Runs until September 25th
Virtual waters
Taking a philosophical approach to
the Iceland bathing culture, Hrund
Atladóttir describes diving into wa-
ter as entering another dimension
full of contradictions. In connection
with the museum’s current ‘bath-
ing culture’ exhibition, this work
challenges viewers to dive into this
dimension through virtual reality
and experience the e#ect water can
have on perception.
• Runs until October 23rd
ÓFEIGUR ART GALLERY
Sigur!ur "órir
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.
• Runs until April 18th
I8 GRANDI
In Relation To The Sun
i8 Grandi is a new exhibition space,
the unique concept of which is to
focus on year-long shows by single
artists. The exhibitions will evolve
while on view, allowing their cre-
ators to reflect how the passage of
time alters their work and encour-
age repeat viewings to observe
those changes. This inaugural
exhibition by Alicja Kwade encom-
pases installation, sculpture and
work on paper. Its title—initially “In
Relation To The Sun”—will change as
the nature of the pieces on display
evolves.
• Runs until December 22nd
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.
NORDIC HOUSE
Life in the Universe
The child-friendly exhibition is based
on a short story by Zakya Ajmi about
Liv, a girl who just learned from her
father that space is constantly ex-
panding. Intrigued, she explores the
starry sky with her telescope. She
suddenly finds herself on a space-
ship where her great adventure
starts. What is life like from above,
away from the city lights?
• Runs until October 1st

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
REYKJAVÍK ART MUSEUM !
KJARVALSSTA"IR
As Far As The Eye Can See
Birgir Andrésson was a leading light
in Icelandic art until his untimely
death in 2007. Taking influence from
all aspects of Icelandic life, legend
and culture, he presented them in a
unique and informed way, draw-
ing admiration from both local and
international art communities. This
retrospective brings together more
than a hundred of his works, includ-
ing some from international and
private collections.
• Runs until May 15th
GALLERY PORT
Hotel Saga: A Place In Time
Photographer Hákon Pálsson
captured the images that make up
this exhibition on one day in July
2021, some eight months a"er his
subject—the Hotel Saga in Reyk-
javík—had been abandoned. The
Saga had been a shining example
of international modernism, and
Hákon’s work examines the idea of
a building which openly sought to
eliminate all connection to its loca-
tion and its history.
• Runs until April 14th

NATIONAL GALLERY OF ICELAND
Staged Moments
This expansive exhibition features
some 41 photographic artists.
The work on show spans the time
between the 1970s and the present
day, and focuses on demonstrating
the diverse use of photography as a
creative medium. The exhibition also
reflects less positive attitudes to
photography as a creative medium,
based on the inherent nature of
the process as one of mechanical
reproduction.
• Runs until May 8th
GER"ASAFN
Status Check
Through a collection of sculptures,
graphic collages, poems, essays,
and multimedia installations,
multiple visual artists and writers
of the same generation provide
insight into their minds and hopes.
All prominent in their own field, they
focus on their past, present, future,
and its artistic communication.
Combining nostalgia with di#erent
concepts of time and reality, the
artists ponder what society and
identity really mean.
• Runs until May 29th
NATIONAL MUSEUM OF ICELAND
Straumnes
During the cold war the U.S. military
operated a radar station at Straum-
nes%all, a remote coastal location in
the West%ords. A"er the Americans
le", the area was eventually cleaned
up and le" to regrow. Local photog-
rapher Marínó Thorlacius reflects
the beauty of nature, captured
among the residue of the aban-
doned military installation.
• Runs until May 1st
HARPA
Circuleight
This immersive light and sound in-
stallation is inspired by elements of
natural Iceland: lava, basalt, glaciers,
water, flora, algae, microorgan-
isms and volcanic gas. Visuals are
provided by American arts organisa-
tion Artechouse, accompanied by an
original score from Högni Egilsson.
Circuleight is open from noon until
18:00 every day, and takes 20 min-
utes to experience.
• Runs until May 31st
REYKJAVÍK MARITIME MUSEUM
Ó!inn Coast Guard Vessel
Take a guided tour around this for-
mer guardian of Icelandic waters.
REYKJAVÍK ART MUSEUM !
ÁSMUNDARSAFN
Spatial Infractions
Rósa Gísladóttir exhibits her work in
conversation with that of Icelandic
sculpture pioneer Ásmundur Sveins-
son. Rósa is best known for her
creations in the medium of plaster,
but she o"en references architec-
ture in her work and here will use
Ásmundarsafn, the museum building
itself, as a sculpture.
• Runs until May 29th
May 6th — June 2nd

Inner Space
Until July 2nd - Hverfis!allerí
Hverfis!ata 4-6
Three dimensional
wall works, reliefs,
a colour palette
ranging from un-
treated wood, to
principal colours,
to neon. Belgian
artist Jeanine
Cohen’s solo ex-
hibition explores
the e#ect colours
and shapes can
have on our
spatial experi-
ence. While each
piece is a stand-
alone work of
art, she uses the
exhibition space
to stimulate a
collaborative
dialogue between
them. Forming an
inner world where
light and shadows
create their own
shapes, it leaves
you wondering
how you can fur-
ther sharpen your
visual perception
to any environ-
ment you happen
to find yourself in.
Cohen’s career
spans over 40
years, but it
wasn’t until 2000
when she started
engaging in the
spatial explora-
tions we know
her of today. Inner
Space shows her
most recent work,
deconstruct-
ing the basic
elements of a
painting and reas-
sembling them
into a new work of
art, leaving recog-
nisable imagery
behind. KW

Conduct 10
Until May 28th - i8 Gallery
Bringing together
almost 50 years
of work, the
exhibition of
Amsterdam-based
Icelandic artist
Hreinn Fri$finns-
son features
sculptures, instal-
lation, photogra-
phy and works on
paper. The pieces
explore elements
of time, environ-
ment, narration,
memory and
perception, all
using everyday
materials as a
basis. KW
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 UNTIL 23.10.
HRUND ATLADÓTTIR
THE PLATFORM
VIRTUAL WATERS
UNTIL 23.10.
RESIDENCY
STUDIO ALLSBER
PRODUCT DESIGNERS
UNTIL 08.05.

Bóta#e$i
Opens June 1st at 16:00, until July
31 - Austurvöllur
The reality of be-
ing disabled and
living in poverty in
this prosperous
country is some-
thing Hrafn Hólm-
frí$arson Jónsson
(aka Krummi)
draws attention
to with his photo
exhibition. Krummi
explores what it’s
like to su#er ma-
terial deprivation
in a society that
makes you believe
money can buy
happiness. KW

Space Mama Pi$$y
Until May 31st - Bókasafn
Hafnarfjar$ar
Sólveig Eva exhib-
its her graphic
novel, which tells
the story of Space
Mama Piggy, who
su#ers from
separation anxiety
a"er sending o#
her babies into
space as a drastic
means for survival.
With a humor-
ous undertone, it
explores a range
of deep emo-
tions that anyone
concerned with
mental wellbeing
can find relief
in. KW