Reykjavík is the capital and largest city of Iceland. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói bay. Its latitude is 64°08' N, making it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. With a population of around 131,136, it is the centre of Iceland's cultural, economic, and governmental activity, and is a popular tourist destination.
Siglufjörður is a small fishing town in a narrow fjord with the same name on the northern coast of Iceland.
The music of Iceland includes vibrant folk and pop traditions, as well as an active classical and contemporary music scene. Well-known artists from Iceland include medieval music group Voces Thules, alternative rock band The Sugarcubes, singers Björk, Hafdís Huld and Emiliana Torrini, post-rock band Sigur Rós, post-metal band Sólstafir, indie folk/indie pop band Of Monsters and Men, blues/rock band Kaleo, metal band Skálmöld and techno-industrial band Hatari. Iceland's traditional music is related to Nordic music forms. Although Iceland has a very small population, it is home to many famous and praised bands and musicians.
The Icelandic Phallological Museum, located in Reykjavík, Iceland, houses the world's largest display of penises and penile parts. As of early 2020 the museum moved to a new location in Hafnartorg, three times the size of the previous one, and the collection holds well over 300 penises from more than 100 species of mammal. Also the museum holds 22 penises from creatures and peoples of Icelandic folklore.
Neskaupstaður is a town located on the fjord Norðfjörður [ˈnɔrðˌfjœrðʏr̥] on the eastern side of Iceland. It is part of the municipality of Fjarðabyggð and, as of 2016, it has a population of 1,481. Neskaupstaður is the third largest town in Eastern Region. The town was originally built on a farm called "Nes", settled by Egill rauði.
Iceland does not have a public railway system. There have been three small railways, but none became part of the public transport in Iceland. The main reasons for the lack of railways are the small population, competition with automobile traffic, and the harsh environment.
Icelandic art has been built on northern European traditions of the nineteenth century, but developed in distinct directions in the twentieth century, influenced in particular by the unique Icelandic landscape as well as by Icelandic mythology and culture.
Norðurþing is a municipality located in northern Iceland. Norðurþing was formed in 2006 when the municipalities of Húsavík, Öxarfjörður, Raufarhöfn, and Kelduneshreppur were merged after special elections in January 2006 and the region was officially declared a new municipality on 10 June 2006.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Iceland:
Sequences Real Time Art Festival is an independent biennale, established in Reykjavík, Iceland in 2006.
The Reykjavik Maritime Museum, formerly Víkin Maritime Museum, is a maritime museum located by the old harbour in the capital of Iceland, Reykjavík and run by Reykjavik City. The museum was established in 2005, and it is now one of five sites belonging to Reykjavik City Museum. There are seven exhibitions at the museum displaying Icelandic maritime history from the early settlements to the late 20th century. An important part of the museum is the Coast Guard and rescue vessel Óðinn. In 2008, the ship was transformed into a museum exhibit about the cod wars in the 1950s and 1970s. The ship also tells about its own history. The museum focuses on the history of fishing in Iceland but also displays temporary exhibitions related to the sea.
Ragnar Kjartansson is a contemporary Icelandic artist who engages multiple artistic mediums throughout his performative practice. His video installations, performances, drawings, and paintings incorporate the history of film, music, visual culture, and literature. His works are connected through their pathos and humor, with each deeply influenced by the comedy and tragedy of classical theater. Kjartansson's use of durational, repetitive performance to harness collective emotion is a hallmark of his practice and recurs throughout his work.
Gunnhildur Hauksdóttir is an Icelandic visual artist. Works of art created by Hauksdóttir consist of audio, video, performance such as dance, sculpture, drawing and text.
The Living Art Museum (Nýló) is a not-for-profit, artist-run museum and exhibition platform for innovative and experimental contemporary art in Reykjavík, Iceland. The Living Art Museum is committed to presenting, collecting and preserving works by Icelandic and international artists and in engaging with the discourse on contemporary art practices.
Alexandra Kjuregej Argunova, better known by her folk singer name, Kjuregej, is a painter, actress, musician, and stage and costume designer. She is from the Sakha Republic and was born in Siberia, but has lived and worked in Iceland for several decades.
The Árnesinga Folk Museum is a small museum located at Eyrarbakki, a village on the south coast of Iceland, where visitors can experience past times and learn about the history of the building and the region. It is situated in the center of the village near the church. It is also accessible by Strætó bs bus.
A five days music event is held annually at the Folk Music Center in Siglufjordur, northern Iceland. The festival commences on the first Wednesday of July every year.
The main focus is on Icelandic folk music and Scandinavian folk music as well as world music and folk dances. 15-20 concerts are held in different locations of the town, f.e. the church, locals and the Herring Era Museum. During the festival, workshops on music and old handcraft, and lectures on both Icelandic and foreign topics are held.
Katrín Sigurdardóttir is a New York-based artist who works in installation and sculpture. Katrin studied at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts, Reykjavík and received a BFA from the San Francisco Art Institute and her MFA from the Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers University. She creates complex structures built to be viewed in exhibition settings but not used as functional architecture. Conceptually, her work reflects issues of intimacy and memory in built spaces, historical recreations, and disorienting shifts in scale. Her work has appeared at the 2013 Icelandic Pavilion of the 55th Venice Biennale, the 33rd São Paulo Bienal, in 2018, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Sculpture Center, and PS1 Contemporary Art Center.
Steinunn Sigurðardóttir is an Icelandic fashion designer. She is the founder and creative director of the label STEiNUNN, founded in 2000.
Reykjavík Museum of Photography, in Reykjavík, Iceland, preserves about five million photographs by professional and amateur photographers, from around 1870 to the present century. The collection includes studio portraits, and industrial, advertising, press, landscape and family photographs.
