ArtGifts

ArtGifts was a response of the Reykjavík Arts Festival to the restrictions on gatherings during the pandemic. The project first took place in Reykjavík at the beginning of November 2020 and was repeated throughout the country the weekend of 19th - 20th of December 2020.

ArtGifts is a project based on the Finnish model, which was originally carried out as part of the Helsinki Festival in August 2020.

Briefly about ArtGifts

A specially designed website was created so the public could order an ArtGift for a loved one free of charge.

Each ArtGift was about a five to ten minute performance of music, dance or poetry readings by nationally known artists that took place at or near the recipient's home. The person who booked the gift was responsible for ensuring that the recipient of the gift was at home and that there were conditions to receive the gift at a safe distance due to the pandemic. The artists performed either outdoors, in stairwells, garages or elsewhere where sufficient distance could be ensured.

ArtGifts in Reykjavík

During the weekend of 7th -8th of November 2020 the first edition of ArtGifts was offered in Reykjavík, supported by the City Council. Thirty artists took part in distributing 140 ArtGifts throughout the capital. The project was very well received. After a presentation in Menningin, a cultural program on national television the Monday night before, all the gifts were booked up the same evening. Despite some rain and cold weather on Saturday, the delivery of ArtGifts went smoothly and attracted a lot of attention on social media.

ArtGifts nationwide

When it became clear that gathering restrictions would be even more burdensome during Advent 2020, the Icelandic government decided to support Reykjavík Arts Festival generously for another edition of ArtGifts around the country on the weekend of 19th -20th of December.

Over one hundred nationally known artists took part this time. It was possible to order an ArtGift from anywhere in the country or even via streaming, for those who did not trust themselves to receive a gift in person.

The artists performed everywhere, from Kópasker to Keflavík, they sang and played, recited poems & danced.

Heavy landslides occurred in Seyðisfjörður the week before the delivery of the ArtGifts and the town was evacuated. However, it was possible to locate the recipients in their temporary housing, so that despite these demanding circumstances all gifts could be delivered as planned.

ArtGifts in the Westfjords, on the other hand, had to be postponed due to bad weather. But in a second attempt they could fully be delivered at the end of January and the beginning of February 2021 as well.

Social media flooded with fun and emotional videos and photographs from the artists' visits, shared by the recipients.

In the video below you can see fragments of the artists who appeared in ArtGift nationwide and the wonderful atmosphere that the project evoked all over the country.

Vídeó

ArtGifts' Artists 2020