Klink & Bank came onto the scene in March 2004. An unused industrial building in central Reykjavik was temporarily donated by the National Bank of Iceland, and the opportunity was seized by local artists. The National Bank of Iceland contacted the people running the Kling & Bang gallery and asked them to run this big building and be responsible for it – which they did.
In collaboration with Kling & Bang gallery, the 5000 square metres was soon transformed into a thriving maze of artistic activity. Some 137 artists, designers, filmmakers and musicians now work in the building on a day to day basis. The three floor building houses art studios, rehearsal rooms, gallery and performance spaces, recording studios and construction workshops. The space is continually developing and adapting according to need.
Klink and Bank is also open for visiting projects of all kinds including theatre, concerts, installations, and seminars. Many of these visiting artists have also used the space for the development and production of new works, including large scale pieces such as the Sheep Plug Project by Jason Rhoades and Paul McCarthy, which was made in collaboration with resident artists and is currently exhibiting at the the Centre Pompidou in Paris. Most recently Christoph Schlingensief has created his work Animatograph in the Kink & Bank space.

In just over a year Klink & Bank has become a centre point for Reykjavik’s artistic life. There has been intense public interest – fed by a packed program of open events. So far there have been over 40 local and international touring concerts (including Peaches, Fennesz, Poni, Trabant), 31 exhibitions, 15 premieres in theatre and dance, and regular open days for public. A rough average of three events per week!
International interest in Klink & Bank is thriving, fueled by several documentaries about it’s development that have been broadcast abroad. Meanwhile Klink & Bank has been busy documenting it’s own explosive growth – a book will be published this fall, accompanied by a new documentary and music CD. The publication will give a history and perspective on the rich variety of developing work in this first phase of Klink & Bank.

At Klink & Bank the synergy of different art forms brought together under one roof is an exceptional opportunity for new development – exceptional both locally and internationally. The extrordinary energy and production this has generated demonstrates how important the centre is for the artistic and cultural life of Iceland. These powerful ingredients have already formed a committed and flourishing network of artistic collaboration at Klink & Bank.

KlinK and BanK is cooperated by and