Who let the dogs out in th White Cat cafe in Iceland

 Who Put the Dogs on Ice?

By Stephen Weir

In the frozen land of Iceland, there is a quirky little café where the literary-minded gather to devour train-sized breakfasts and admire a surreal display: more than a dozen dog-head masks mounted on the walls. The café, known as the White Cat, is tucked away in Reykjavík and offers a strange yet magnetic mix of books, visual art, and conversation. Has Trinidadian-Canadian playwright André Alexis—author of the acclaimed novel Fifteen Dogs—found a following in this country that seems to adore all things Canadian?

“Who let the dogs out?!” sang a loud tourist in a Maple Leaf sweatshirt as he entered the café. The waiter rolled his eyes and sighed, “Oh no, another Canadian.” Then, spotting my raised eyebrow, he added, “Yes, we know all about Fifteen Dogs.”

Indeed, the wall of canine heads is more than decorative oddity—it’s a conceptual art installation titled The Dog Within, created by Icelandic artist B/. Known for her surreal and humorous work, Bjargey often explores the human subconscious and our primal instincts. This installation, part of her larger Rófurass: The Dog Within project, examines the "inner dog"—a metaphor for the instinctive, emotional, and animalistic aspects of human nature.

Bjargey works across multiple media—photography, video, drawing, sound, and performance art. In The Dog Within, she uses dog-head masks in photographs and videos, often placing them on people engaged in human activities to blur the lines between human and animal behavior. The installation is sometimes accompanied by sound art—barking, howling, and other canine noises designed to provoke an emotional or subconscious response in viewers.

The masks themselves, which dominate one café wall, appear almost lifelike—furrowed brows, floppy ears, and glassy eyes that seem to follow you. The effect is eerie and thought-provoking. What does it mean to confront the dog within? Are we taming our instincts or hiding them beneath a mask of civility?

The presence of this installation in a literary café suggests a cultural openness to conceptual art and layered metaphors. Reykjavík has long been known for supporting avant-garde artists, and this café seems to be a hotspot for the creatively inclined—local writers, students, and tourists alike.

The connection to André Alexis’s Fifteen Dogs—in which a group of dogs are granted human consciousness and must wrestle with mortality, language, and love—is impossible to ignore. The novel, which won the Giller Prize, is a philosophical fable that also delves into the animal side of human identity. Icelanders appear to have embraced its themes, as well as its Canadian author.

If you’re wondering about the play adaptation, Fifteen Dogs was recently staged in Toronto at the CAA Theatre, running from January 28 to February 16, 2025, as part of the Off-Mirvish season. Directed by Marie Farsi, it featured a stellar cast and received glowing reviews.

In the meantime, if you're in Iceland and find yourself staring down a wall of dogs over breakfast, don’t panic. Just smile, order a coffee, and embrace the beast within.