Markús Þór Andrésson, Reykjavík Art Museum
A day in the life of North Atlantic Triennial curator Markús Þór Andrésson in Iceland
A PERFECT SUNDAY
Living in Reykjavík means that planning a head can prove to be a challenge. The climate is unpredictable, weather and light of day are constantly changing. It‘s more about day-to-day decisions; spontaneity is an element you must count on if you want to make the most out of this nice little city and its surroundings. January and February are especially demanding, with post-Christmas blues and not much to look forward to but a series of storms passing over the island and much too short days. Spring takes forever to arrive. The sun will stop by over the horizon for a few hours midday, but the poor thing doesn’t stand a chance because the odds are that it’s too cloudy for it to make a real appearance.
However, against the odds, let’s imagine a Sunday, it’s a clear sky and little or no wind. One idea would be to drive up to the mountains and go skiing, but that means it would have had to snow in the previous days, and this is not the case today. The family will head out and too the neighbourhood pool, Neslaug, where we’ll play around for an hour or so until it gets bright, chatting with friends and neighbours in the hot tubs or the sauna. Topic: The weather. Afterwards, a brunch somewhere in the Grandi area which is a nice part of midtown next to the harbour. Perhaps the Coocoos’ Nest because then we can go straight afterwards to get Ice-cream next door at Valdís. It is mind-boggling how you can run a thriving ice-cream store in this place this time of year.
After brunch we pack some cocoa and head up to Heiðmörk, which is Reykjavík’s outdoor park. It’s a wilderness of lava and lakes and trees, so you can choose from many different paths. One of them is Búrfellsgjá, which is an old valley where lava ran, creating a kind of a channel with interesting lava walls on each side and you can follow it all the way up to the old crater, standing just enough up from the surroundings so that you can enjoy a view all around.
Back in town it’s nice to stop at a bookshop/café, where the kids can look at books or toys while the adults get a nice cup of coffee. One of them is Iða, close to the city library and the Reykjavík Art Museum. It’s also nice to stop in one of the art museums which are out of the city center. The municipalities around Reykjavík feature very nice art centers, such as Hafnarborg in Hafnarfjörður or Gerðarsafn in Kópavogur. Now it’s dinnertime and it’s great to meet with friends for food at one of the food halls that are popping up like mushrooms all around town. The one in Hlemmur is great, with many options to choose from, Mexican, Thai, Italian and Nordic.
If there is any energy left we might have a pyjama-dance party for the kids before bed, mixing today’s pop, such as Bríet or Aron Kan, with some nostalgic eighties hits, like Grýlurnar or Mannakorn. The children will then go peacefully and quietly to bed…no, this last bit is simply a blatant lie, the other stuff is at least honest wishful thinking.
MORE FROM MARKÚS
We’re honored to open the first North Atlantic Triennial, a contemporary art exhibition co-presented by the Portland Museum of Art, the Reykjavík Art Museum in Iceland (where the exhibition will travel after it leaves the PMA), and the Bildmuseet in Umeå, Sweden (its third venue). This is the first exhibition devoted entirely to contemporary art of the North Atlantic region, and a chance for the PMA and Maine artists to collaborate with some truly exceptional international partners.
To help introduce you to Triennial curator Markús Þór Andrésson of the Reykjavík Art Museum in Iceland, we asked about his interests:
There are so many webcams pointed at places in nature around Iceland where I love to go visit, taking a break from day-to-day logistics. I cannot describe it as fun, but it is intriguing.
My hobbies are related to this, as I love going hiking and camping. Either the family sets up camp somewhere, or a group of friends covers a nice scenic trail. There are endless places to choose from in Iceland, where you’ll find mountains to climb, rivers to cross, geothermal springs to bathe in, seashores to track along, and rain to...well there is just a lot of rain, so you can do whatever you like with that.
What might the gannets be up to in their crowded colony out in Eldey-Island? Usually nothing new, but they are always busy, busy!
And the volcanic eruption in Reykjanes-Peninsula, what direction is the lava flow taking today? Or has it stopped?
Not to mention the flow of water in icebergs in Jökulsárlón! It’s just never the same – well pretty much the same, but different.