Events

WINTER LIGHTS FESTIVAL

FEBRUARY 3-6

The Winter Lights Festival is an annual event aimed to stimulate city life in the middle of winter. The festival celebrates wintertime as well as the return of more daylight after a long period of darkness. On the programme, there’s a mix of art, sports, and culture and offers a variety of events for locals and visitors. All events are free of charge. The major museums, thermal pools, and the Reykjavík Ski Resort all join hands to put up fun and interesting events. And every year, beautiful light installations are placed around the city.

KONUDAGUR (WOMEN’S DAY)

FEBRUARY 20

Konudagur is a special day in honour of women. It’s sort of like Valentine’s Day, except that this day is only for women. There’s a separate day for men in January, Bóndadagur. Konudagur is linked to the old Norse calendar and it’s the first day of the month Góa. On this day, men (and everyone) treat the women in their lives. A common thing to do is to go out for dinner, or to give girlfriends/ wives nice gifts. FEBRUARY 28

Bolludagur is the first in the row of three peculiar holidays that together constitute Icelandic Carnival. The name roughly translates to “Cream Puff Day” in English. It is always on a Monday, six weeks before Easter, so the actual date changes every year. Bakers from Denmark or Norway introduced the custom to Icelanders in the middle of the 19th century. They are responsible for bringing the delicious Bolludagsbolla to Iceland. Bolla is the Icelandic word for all sorts of round pastries, sweet or savoury. The Bolludagsbolla is a glorious choux pastry bun traditionally filled with jam and whipped cream and topped with a chocolate glaze.

CIRCULEIGHT

ALL THROUGH FEBRUARY

Circuleight features designs and real-time interactive visuals inspired by eight elements: lava, basalt, glacier, water, flora, algae, microorganism, and volcanic gas. Throughout the installation, audiences are fully immersed into this world through original music by Icelandic composer, singer and songwriter Högni Egilsson. Högni’s music combined with the interactive technology enables audiences to experience this installation in an unforgettable way.

NORTHERN LIGHTS RUN 2022

FEBRUARY 5

The Northern Lights Run is a run through downtown Reykjavík, during which runners will see the city in a new colourful light. Ditch your inhibitions and go all out in the illuminated streets of Reykjavík. All participants get their very own illuminating merchandise, making them a part of the entire show from start to finish. Participants will get a “swag bag” with illuminated goodies such as glasses, bracelets, and a finger light. And if you’re lucky, the northern lights will make an appearance, lighting up the sky!

COVID-19 DISCLAIMER

The government of Iceland, The Department of Civil Protection and Emergency Management, and The Directorate of Health are constantly monitoring the COVID-19 status in Iceland and are implementing regulations and restrictions in response to its development. Visit www.covid.is for the most up-to-date information.

SIGURJÓN ÓLAFSSON MUSEUM

A Story Unfolds A variety of sculptures by Sigurjón Ólafsson, from his student years at the Royal Academy of the Arts in Copenhagen, till the year he died, 1982. Also to be seen are the sketches for some of his key works that have been enlarged and installed in public areas, e.g. Footballers (LSÓ 247) erected in Akranes, Mask (LSÓ 011) at the Reykjavík City Theater and the Viking (LSÓ 162) which Sigurjón also carved in dolerite and stands in the front of the National Gallery of Iceland.

REYKJAVIK ART MUSEUM ÁSMUNDARSAFN

Carl Boutard and Ásmundur Sveinsson: Budding Earth

Until 6 february In nature there are endless examples of remarkable design, where things take form through the interplay of rule, repetition and deviation. Artist Carl Boutard focuses on these elements in his and Ásmundur Sveinsson‘s exhibition. Carl’s sculptural practice has been shaped by his devotion to the environment, both natural and man-made. Often situated or created in public space, his work reflects on the relationship between human beings, nature and culture. Carl describes himself as a “traditional sculptor” referring to his emphasis on material and form, and the function of the works to change depending on the point of view from which they are viewed. The works may appear abstract, but are often drawn from natural forms that can be found in the tiny plant kingdom or in the vast universe. Much of Carl Boutard’s art practice has a counterpart in the life’s work of Ásmundur Sveinsson. It is exciting to see the work of these sculptors from different times juxtaposed together. Visitors gain new perspective on the heritage of the well-known and cared for artist through a contemporary lens – within the beautiful environment of Ásmundarsafn and the surrounding garden. Carl presents new sculptures together with selected works by Ásmundur from his extensive career. He brings forward works by Ásmundur that reflect his interest in man’s relationship with nature. Ásmundur often personified nature in human form or semi-abstract figures and he also brought different natural phenomena into abstract form. The exhibition draws its title from a wooden sculpture, Budding Earth from 1945, showing a mother nurturing a child, but the forms also reflect trees or vegetation reaching form the ground to the sky.

A Story Unfolds

Design for sculptor Ásmundur Sveinsson

Until 6 february Exhibition of products designed by five product designers for the museum shop at Ásmundarsafn. Ásmundur Sveinsson’s visual world has been a source of ideas for new useful products dedicated to the artist’s memory and his contribution to Icelandic cultural and handicraft heritage.

Ásmundur Sveinsson and Rósa Gísladóttir

From 19 february Rósa Gísladóttir exhibits her work in a conversation with the work of Ásmundur Sveinsson. Sculptors from different periods meet in dialogue that offers a new insight into Ásmundur’s heritage and introduces new works by a contemporary artist to the viewers.

In her career, Rósa has worked with various materials but she is best known for plaster sculptures which have taken on different shapes and sizes throughout her career. She often works with artistic references to architecture and cultural history and will utilise Ásmundarsafn, the museum building itself, as a sculpture. Ásmundur built “The Dome Building” at Sigtún in a few stages between 1942 and 1959. It was his home and his studio, and here the studio atmosphere from both Ásmundur and Rósa will meet and become visible.

Catch the Aurora Borealis All Year Round There is perhaps nothing more magical than witnessing the beauty of a northern lights display. However, those unpredictable, ever dancing lights don’t always show up on cue – and fade away during the summer months. So, it is with great joy that we welcome Aurora Reykjavík – The northern lights center, where the northern lights are always on display.

Aurora Reykjavík’s pull and ace up its sleeve is its fantastic 4k timelapse film of the Aurora Borealis.

Aurora Reykjavík’s latest addition are virtual reality goggles featuring the world’s first 360° movie of aurora displays entirely shot in Iceland. If you can’t catch the northern lights yourself, this utterly realistic experience is definitely the next best option to witness the beauty of this truly amazing phenomenon.

Capturing the northern lights with your own camera can be challenging, but, at Aurora Reykjavík, you get taught by the experts: bring your camera and try the right settings at the Northern Lights Photo Simulator.

In the exhibition you will find an entertaining selfie booth – have fun looking all fabulous under the northern l ights!

For more information, see www.aurorareykjavik.is.

ÁSGRÍMUR JÓNSSON COLLECTION

A Window in Reykjavík – Ásgrímur Jónsson’s house The exhibition A Window in Reykjavík comprises a selection of works by Ásgrímur Jónsson, whose common factor is that they relate to the artist’s surroundings in Reykjavík. The view from the

Aurora Reykjavík

Ásgrímur Jónsson

window of Vinaminni, where he first lived on his return to Iceland, became a favourite motif for him, with its vista of Reykjavík Harbour and Mt. Esja across the bay. Watercolour was an appropriate medium for capturing the quality of the light over the waters of Skerjafjörður and the houses on Laufásvegur. Ásgrímur’s life and oeuvre span a long period of Iceland’s history – a time when the old rural society was starting to decline and Reykjavík was growing from a town into a city. Many of Ásgrímur’s paintings from Reykjavík, painted in the first half of the 20th century, depict a peaceful little town where houses cluster along the ocean shore; yet they also show economic activity, such as workmen building roads as the new urban society evolves. The artist’s viewpoint through a window is a common artistic theme. In such works one senses a closeness to the artist, and in Ásgrímur’s home the visitor can look out of the window to see the same viewpoint as Ásgrímur captured on canvas and paper.

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NATIONAL GALLERY OF ICELAND

Muggur - Gumundur Thorsteinsson

Until February 13 The exhibition seeks to explore every aspect of Muggur’s artistic creation, which spans many fields: landscape; bucolic and genre themes from Iceland; memories of his travels to faraway places, such as rural Norway and the New York City social scene; fantasy worlds where graceful princes and princesses live in beautiful palaces; the dark and terrifying world of trolls; and the merciful world of faith where Christ cures the sick. Muggur’s illustrations of folktales often underline their comical elements – and he is regarded as the first humourist in Icelandic art. He expressed his ideas in diverse media and methods: he drew in pencil, pastel and pen, painted watercolours and oils, made collages with paper, embroidered, sewed, and carved in wood.

Staged Moments Staged Moments throws light on one of the most diverse divisions of the National Gallery of Iceland collection – the photograph. The works span the period from the 1970s to the present day. Photography’s status as an art form has risen greatly in recent decades; in the past the photograph was not recognised as a legitimate work of art, due to its quality of reproducibility, which was seen as inconsistent with the principle of the unique and sublime in the arts. In Iceland, the use of photographs by conceptual artists in the 1960s and 70s may be said to have led to the medium being appreciated as an art form. Staged Moments testifies to the way that photography has flourished as an art over the past fifty years, establishing the photograph as an art form on equal footing with other, olderestablished art media. Today photography is respected as a multifarious medium in a state of constant evolution, that has considerably expanded the bounds of contemporary art.

Birgir Snæbjörn Birgisson

Careless Whispers

From February 26 Careless Whispers comprises paintings by Birgir Snæbjörn Birgisson, made between 2015 and 2022. Birgir’s work addresses political, social and historical issues in the present day. He expertly combines sensitivity, tenderness and the sober content of his work, and the colours in the paintings almost seem to be fading and vanishing, which beckons the viewer to them. Birgir’s approach is delicate, almost whispering and heightens the senses. The earnest, murmured narrative conjured up by Birgir compels the onlooker to use critical thinking, by unveiling the innocent character and all the gentleness that emanates from Birgir’s works.

Jóhannes S. Kjarval

REYKJAVIK ART MUSEUM KJARVALSSTAÐIR

Jóhannes S. Kjarval: In Icelandic Colours The exhibition seeks to cast a light on colour in the works of Jóhannes Kjarval (1885-1972) and explore his use of colour. He used diverse colours in his work – weather and light determined his choice of colour in his landscapes, and in fantasies and other works the artist’s personal feeling and vision was in charge. Sharp colours, purple, pink and gold are among those you find in many of Kjarval’s works. He either laid the paint on really thin or squeezed thick paint directly from the tube onto the canvas. In this exhibition, the works are selected to reflect Kjarval’s liberal use of colour and the flow of ideas and expression in his art.

When Kjarval was growing up and experimenting, he used calf blood, soot, ink and wool dye when he couldn’t get his hands on other things or paint. During his study years, first in Reykjavík and later in Denmark, and as he travelled and saw more of international art, his use of colour changed and developed.

The exhibition bears the title In Icelandic Colours and is dedicated to artist Birgir Andrésson (1955-2007) who in his career created numerous works in colours that he defined as Icelandic and tagged them with a colour code and the word “Icelandic” in front. The colours defined by Birgir were those he thought common in the nation’s visual heritage.

As Far as the Eye Can See Birgir Andrésson As Far as the Eye Can See is a varied and extensive overview exhibition of the works of visual artist Birgir Andrésson (1955-2007) that takes over Kjarvalsstaðir.

Birgir Andrésson was a leading force in Icelandic art for more than thirty years, and died long before his time. Birgir searched the well of Icelandic culture, stories, traditions and the nation’s handwork for inspiration. He drew elements from these sources and presented them in a uniquely informed way in works that secured his place in Icelandic art history and drew admiration from the international art scene. This exhibition gives insight into the artist’s influential career and connects his works not only to the local art scene, but to contemporary art internationally. More than a hundred works are displayed, including those from the collection at Reykjavík Art Museum, The National Gallery of Iceland, The Living Art Museum and The Metropolitan Museum in New York, and from private collections. THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF ICELAND

The Making of a Nation Heritage and History in Iceland The National Museum of Iceland’s permanent exhibition, Making of a Nation – Heritage and History in Iceland, is intended to provide insight into the history of the Icelandic nation from the settlement to the present day. The aim is to cast light on the Icelanders’ past by placing the cultural heritage preserved by the National Museum in a historical context, guided by the question: what makes a nation? The exhibition includes about 2,000 objects, dating from the Settlement Age to the present, as well as about 1,000 photographs from the 20th century. The exhibition is conceived as a journey through time: it begins with the ship in which medieval settlers crossed the ocean to their new home, it ends in a modern airport, the Icelanders’ gateway to the world.

Roses grew on the snow Roses grew on snow is an exhibition of Vassilis Triantis’ photographs. The exhibition contains photographs by Triantis himself and photos from the family album of his parents in law, Ásta and Gústi, who for a long time grew roses in the village Laugarás in South Iceland. The exhibition is an homage to the life and work of the couple and reflects on memories of roses that grew in the snow.

BEST STEAKS IN REYKJAVÍK... ...WE AGREE

Straumnes Straumnesfjall mountain rises between Aðalvík to the south and Rekavík to the north, now within Hornstrandir Nature Reserve in the Westfjords. During the cold war the US army erected a radar station on the mountain, which it operated for only three years, between 1958 and 1961. In 1991 the mountain and its surroundings were cleared of the ruins in a cooperation between the US army and Icelandic authorities. Nonetheless, clear traces of this operation are still visible on the mountain. The photographer Marino Thorlacius photographed the area in 2015 and again in 2019 and shares his vision of what remains of the radar station at this remote place. The sublime natural beauty and the ever-changing weather offer a backdrop to the photographs depicting relics of bygone times. When the lingering fog lifts and light clears the view over the level mountain top, concrete blocks lying around catch the eye. Debris of timber and iron that lies half buried at the edge of the mountain bears witness to a story of the station being bulldozed over the edge. Do these scattered remains denote a pollution disaster, or are they cultural heritage? Árbær Open Air Museum

ÁRBÆR OPEN AIR MUSEUM

Árbær was an established farm well into the 20th century, and the museum opened there in 1957. Árbær is now an open air museum with more than 20 buildings which form a town square, a village and a farm. Most of the buildings have been relocated from central Reykjavik.Árbær Open Air Museum tries to give a sense of the architecture and way of life and lifestyles of the past in Reykjavík and during summer visitors can see domestic animals. There are many exhibitions and events held at the Museum which highlight specific periods in Reykjavik’s history. These include craft days, vintage car displays, Christmas exhibitions and much more. There is something for everyone at Árbær Open Air Museum.

EINAR JÓNSSON MUSEUM

This is a museum in the heart of Reykjavík that houses the work of Iceland’s first sculptor Einar Jónsson. The museum contains close to 300 artworks spanning a 60-year career: carvings from the artist’s youth, sculpture, paintings and drawings. A beautiful tree-clad garden adorned with 26 bronze casts of the artist’s works is located behind the museum. The task of the museum is to collect, preserve and display the work of Einar as well as to conduct research on his life and art.

THE SETTLEMENT EXHIBITION

The Settlement Exhibition An open excavation where Viking ruins meet multimedia technology. Just below ground in downtown Reykjavík, this open excavation uncovers the city’s Viking Age history. Discovered during building work in 2001, these archaeological remains turned out to be the earliest evidence of human settlement in the city, with some dating to before AD 872. Careful excavation revealed a 10th-century hall or longhouse, which is now preserved in its original location as the focal point of the exhibition. Interactive technology immerses you in the world of the Reykjavík farm at the time of the first settlers, including information on how Viking Age buildings were constructed and what life was like in the hall. The Settlement Exhibition is part of Reykjavík City Museum.

Random Moments

REYKJAVIK MUSEUM OF PHOTOGRAPHY

Random Moments Random Moments groups photographs and juxtaposes abstracts from published literature to visualise plots with images and narratives independent of one another. The exhibition is the curator’s Yean Fee Quai‘s fictitious arrangement, based on actual photographs and literature. The visuals are amassed from a computer database, and printed publications are the sources for the texts.

Erró

REYKJAVIK ART MUSEUM HAFNARHÚS

Abracadabra In this diverse exhibition, new works by contemporary artists are presented especially with children and young people in mind. The works are all in the collection of the Reykjavík Art Museum. Presentation, mediation and education aims to open up the world of art as it appears today for younger audiences. Along with the exhibition, there is a rich program as well as digital dissemination. “Abracadabra” is a word deriving from ancient languages that means: What I say becomes a reality. This is a magic word that describes how artists’ ideas become works of art.” Erró the Traveller The journey characterizes both Erró’s life and career. He studied art in Reykjavik, Oslo, Ravenna, Florence, and eventually settled in Paris in 1958, after spending several months in Israel. Many successive journeys followed, including some remarkable trips to New York, Moscow and Havana. A world tour, 1971-1972, led him to cross Asia. From the 1970s, he has lived and worked between Paris, Bangkok and Formentera in Spain. Erró’s travels play an important role in the creation of his works. Wherever he goes, he collects hundreds of images. He brings them together in collages which, enlarged, lead to paintings. The idea of travel, of displacement, appears in many works through the use of motifs such as planes, rockets, trains, birds, horses, or even superheroes. It manifests itself in a specific way in the series about “Mao’s world tour”, “space travels” and “North African women”.

D46 Ásgerður Birna Björnsdóttir A Twitch and a Tug Ásgerður Birna Björnsdóttir is the 46th artist to exhibit in Reykjavík Art Museum´s exhibition series in D-Gallery. Björnsdóttir is born in 1990. She completed her BFA from Gerrit Rietveld Academie in Amsterdam in 2016. The D-Gallery exhibition series started in 2007. Emerging artists, who are shaping the local contemporary art scene, are invited to hold their first solo show in a public museum.

Fish • Lamb • Whale • Icelandic cuisine with a twist Icelandic music and nightlife Mix with the locals ...and all the Icelandic beers in one awsome place!

INGÓLFSSTRÆTI 1A 101 REYKJAVÍK

www.islenskibarinn.is postur@islenskibarinn.is sími: 517 6767

THE ICELANDIC PUNK MUSEUM

The Icelandic Punk Museum is located at Bankastræti 0, an underground location that served as public toilets from 1930 to 2006. The museum honours the music and the spirit that has shaped musicians and bands to this day; people who dared to be diff erent. Objects, photographs, videos, posters, etc. from roughly 1978 to 1992 are on display with texts in Icelandic and English, and the main music from the period is available to guests.

CULTURE HOUSE

National Treasures The National Gallery of Iceland’s collection contains over eleven thousand works. In the exhibition Treasures of a Nation, a selection of works from the collection displays the evolution of art in Iceland from the early nineteenth century to our times.

Punk Museum

Culture House

Welcome to Jómfrúin, the home of Danish smørrebrød in Reykjavik. It all began in 1888 with Oscars Davidsen’s highly praised smørrebrød restaurant in Copenhagen. An unbroken tradition of quality and Danish culinary culture for the past 100 years. Enjoy!