Sun Voyager

This stainless steel sculpture, created by Jón Gunnar Árnason, is described as a "dreamboat." Resting on the waterfront in Reykjavik, this Viking-style longship is visible for all to see and visit. Some may mistake this installation for an actual Viking ship, but it is a symbolic vessel—an ode to the sun.

Árbason and his Sun Voyager won an outdoor sculpture competition commemorating the 200th anniversary of Reykjavik in 1990. He wanted to create a statue that not only conveyed hope to the current-day inhabitants of Iceland but also paid tribute to the founders of the country and their Viking heritage.

There was much controversy on where the statue should be placed, and it was originally intended to sit near Hallgrímskirkja, Iceland's most iconic church. It also faced some criticism, as the boat was not placed facing west, which is the direction the early settlers sailed to discover Iceland.