Ragnar Kjartansson
Woman in E, 2016
Originally performed at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Detroit
January 15 – April 10, 2016
Duration: 6 to 9 hours, daily
Photo: Andrew Miller
Ragnar Kjartansson engages multiple artistic mediums, creating video installations, performances, drawings, and paintings that draw upon myriad historical and cultural references. An underlying pathos and irony connect his works, with each deeply influenced by the comedy and tragedy of classical theater. The artist blurs the distinctions between mediums, approaching his painting practice as performance, likening his films to paintings, and his performances to sculpture. Throughout, Kjartansson conveys an interest in beauty and its banality, and he uses durational, repetitive performance as a form of exploration.
Kjartansson (b. 1976) lives and works in Reykjavík. Major solo shows include exhibitions at the Museo Tamayo, Mexico City; Louisiana Museum, Humlebaek; the De Pont Museum, Tilburg; the Kunstmuseum Stuttgart; The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; the Reykjavík Art Museum; the Barbican Centre, London; the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Park, Washington D.C.; the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal; the Palais de Tokyo, Paris; the New Museum of Contemporary Art, New York; the Migros Museum für Gegenwartskunst, Zurich; the Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo, Turin; the Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston; and the Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh; among others. Kjartansson participated in The Encyclopedic Palace at the Venice Biennale in 2013, Manifesta 10 in St. Petersburg, Russia in 2014, and he represented Iceland at the 2009 Venice Biennale. The artist received the 2019 Ars Fennica Award and was the recipient of the 2015 Artes Mundi’s Derek Williams Trust Purchase Award and Performa’s 2011 Malcolm McLaren Award.
Ragnar Kjartansson
What Have We Done To Deserve This, 2023
Ragnar Kjartansson
Scared Man, 2023
Ragnar Kjartansson
Epic Waste of Love And Understanding, 2023
Plywood and paint
90.5 x 263.2 x 90.5 inches
(230 x 600 x 230 cm)
Courtesy of the artist, Luhring Augustine, New York and i8 Gallery, Reykjavik
Ragnar Kjartansson
Epic Waste of Love And Understanding, 2023
Plywood and paint
90.5 x 263.2 x 90.5 inches
(230 x 600 x 230 cm)
Courtesy of the artist, Luhring Augustine, New York and i8 Gallery, Reykjavik
Ragnar Kjartansson
Epic Waste of Love And Understanding, 2023
Plywood and paint
90.5 x 263.2 x 90.5 inches
(230 x 600 x 230 cm)
Courtesy of the artist, Luhring Augustine, New York and i8 Gallery, Reykjavik
Ragnar Kjartansson
Epic Waste of Love And Understanding, 2023
Plywood and paint
90.5 x 263.2 x 90.5 inches
(230 x 600 x 230 cm)
Courtesy of the artist, Luhring Augustine, New York and i8 Gallery, Reykjavik
Ragnar Kjartansson
Santa Barbara, 2021-22
Durational performance
Directed by Ása Helga Hjörleifsdóttir
Performance, staging and production: Lorem Ipsum
Commissioned by V–A–C Foundation, Moscow
Courtesy of the artist, Luhring Augustine, New York and i8 Gallery, Reykjavik
Based on the series originally created by Bridget and Jerome Dobson ‘SANTA BARBARA’ C 1984 Twentieth Century Fox Television, all rights reserved
Photo: Misha Friedman
Ragnar Kjartansson
Santa Barbara, 2021-22
Durational performance
Directed by Ása Helga Hjörleifsdóttir
Performance, staging and production: Lorem Ipsum
Commissioned by V–A–C Foundation, Moscow
Courtesy of the artist, Luhring Augustine, New York and i8 Gallery, Reykjavik
Based on the series originally created by Bridget and Jerome Dobson ‘SANTA BARBARA’ C 1984 Twentieth Century Fox Television, all rights reserved
Photo: Misha Friedman
Ragnar Kjartansson
Santa Barbara, 2021-22
Durational performance
Directed by Ása Helga Hjörleifsdóttir
Performance, staging and production: Lorem Ipsum
Commissioned by V–A–C Foundation, Moscow
Courtesy of the artist, Luhring Augustine, New York and i8 Gallery, Reykjavik
Based on the series originally created by Bridget and Jerome Dobson ‘SANTA BARBARA’ C 1984 Twentieth Century Fox Television, all rights reserved
Photo: Misha Friedman
Ragnar Kjartansson
Santa Barbara, 2021-22
Durational performance
Directed by Ása Helga Hjörleifsdóttir
Performance, staging and production: Lorem Ipsum
Commissioned by V–A–C Foundation, Moscow
Courtesy of the artist, Luhring Augustine, New York and i8 Gallery, Reykjavik
Based on the series originally created by Bridget and Jerome Dobson ‘SANTA BARBARA’ C 1984 Twentieth Century Fox Television, all rights reserved
Photo: Misha Friedman
Ragnar Kjartansson
Santa Barbara, 2021-22
Durational performance
Directed by Ása Helga Hjörleifsdóttir
Performance, staging and production: Lorem Ipsum
Commissioned by V–A–C Foundation, Moscow
Courtesy of the artist, Luhring Augustine, New York and i8 Gallery, Reykjavik
Based on the series originally created by Bridget and Jerome Dobson ‘SANTA BARBARA’ C 1984 Twentieth Century Fox Television, all rights reserved
Photo: Misha Friedman
Ragnar Kjartansson
Santa Barbara, 2021-22
Durational performance
Directed by Ása Helga Hjörleifsdóttir
Performance, staging and production: Lorem Ipsum
Commissioned by V–A–C Foundation, Moscow
Courtesy of the artist, Luhring Augustine, New York and i8 Gallery, Reykjavik
Based on the series originally created by Bridget and Jerome Dobson ‘SANTA BARBARA’ C 1984 Twentieth Century Fox Television, all rights reserved
Photo: Misha Friedman
Ragnar Kjartansson
Santa Barbara, 2021-22
Durational performance
Directed by Ása Helga Hjörleifsdóttir
Performance, staging and production: Lorem Ipsum
Commissioned by V–A–C Foundation, Moscow
Courtesy of the artist, Luhring Augustine, New York and i8 Gallery, Reykjavik
Based on the series originally created by Bridget and Jerome Dobson ‘SANTA BARBARA’ C 1984 Twentieth Century Fox Television, all rights reserved
Photo: Misha Friedman
Ragnar Kjartansson
Me and My Mother 2020, 2020
Single-channel video
Duration: 10 minutes, 38 seconds
Ragnar Kjartansson
Me and My Mother 2020, 2020
Excerpt
Single-channel video
Duration: 10 minutes, 38 seconds
Ragnar Kjartansson
Me and My Mother 2015, 2015
Single-channel video with sound
Duration: 20 minutes, 25 seconds
Ragnar Kjartansson
Me and My Mother 2010, 2010
Single-channel video with sound
Duration: 19 minutes, 59 seconds
Ragnar Kjartansson
Me and my Mother 2005, 2005
Single-channel video with sound
Duration: 3 minutes, 40 seconds
Ragnar Kjartansson
Me and my Mother 2000, 2000
Single-channel video with sound
Duration: 7 minutes, 7 seconds
Ragnar Kjartansson
Sumarnótt, 2019
Seven-channel video installation with sound
Duration: 1 hour, 17 minutes
Ragnar Kjartansson
Sumarnótt, 2019
Seven-channel video installation with sound
Duration: 1 hour, 17 minutes
Ragnar Kjartansson
Sumarnótt, 2019
Seven-channel video installation with sound
Duration: 1 hour, 17 minutes
Ragnar Kjartansson
Sumarnótt, 2019
Seven-channel video installation with sound
Duration: 1 hour, 17 minutes
Ragnar Kjartansson
Eldhraun, 2019
Oil on canvas
31 1/2 x 41 3/8 inches
(80 x 105 cm)
Ragnar Kjartansson
Eldhraun, 2019
Oil on canvas
31 1/2 x 41 3/8 inches
(80 x 105 cm)
Ragnar Kjartansson
Eldhraun, 2019
Oil on canvas
31 1/2 x 41 3/8 inches
(80 x 105 cm)
Ragnar Kjartansson
Eldhraun, 2019
Oil on canvas
31 1/2 x 41 3/8 inches
(80 x 105 cm)
Ragnar Kjartansson
Eldhraun, 2019
Oil on canvas
31 1/2 x 41 3/8 inches
(80 x 105 cm)
Ragnar Kjartansson
Eldhraun, 2019
Oil on canvas
31 1/2 x 41 3/8 inches
(80 x 105 cm)
Ragnar Kjartansson
Eldhraun, 2019
Oil on canvas
31 1/2 x 41 3/8 inches
(80 x 105 cm)
Ragnar Kjartansson
Bliss, 2020
Single-channel video
Duration: 11 hours, 59 minutes, 25 seconds
Recorded at REDCAT as part of LA Phil's Fluxus Festival curated by Christopher Rountree 25 May 2019, originally a commission for Performa 11
Ragnar Kjartansson
Bliss, 2020
Excerpt
Single-channel video
Duration: 11 hours, 59 minutes, 25 seconds
Recorded at REDCAT as part of LA Phil's Fluxus Festival curated by Christopher Rountree 25 May 2019, originally a commission for Performa 11
Ragnar Kjartansson
Bliss, 2020
Single-channel video
Duration: 11 hours, 59 minutes, 25 seconds
Recorded at REDCAT as part of LA Phil's Fluxus Festival curated by Christopher Rountree 25 May 2019, originally a commission for Performa 11
Ragnar Kjartansson
Bliss, 2020
Single-channel video
Duration: 11 hours, 59 minutes, 25 seconds
Recorded at REDCAT as part of LA Phil's Fluxus Festival curated by Christopher Rountree 25 May 2019, originally a commission for Performa 11
Ragnar Kjartansson
Bliss, 2020
Single-channel video
Duration: 11 hours, 59 minutes, 25 seconds
Recorded at REDCAT as part of LA Phil's Fluxus Festival curated by Christopher Rountree 25 May 2019, originally a commission for Performa 11
Ragnar Kjartansson
Bliss, 2020
Single-channel video
Duration: 11 hours, 59 minutes, 25 seconds
Recorded at REDCAT as part of LA Phil's Fluxus Festival curated by Christopher Rountree 25 May 2019, originally a commission for Performa 11
Ragnar Kjartansson
Figures in Landscape (Sunday), 2018
Single-channel video
Duration: 24 hours
Ragnar Kjartansson
Figures in Landscape (Sunday), 2018
Excerpt
Single-channel video
Duration: 24 hours
Ragnar Kjartansson
Figures in Landscape (Monday), 2018
Single-channel video
Duration: 24 hours
Ragnar Kjartansson
Figures in Landscape (Monday), 2018
Excerpt
Single-channel video
Duration: 24 hours
Ragnar Kjartansson
Figures in Landscape (Tuesday), 2018
Single-channel video
Duration: 24 hours
Ragnar Kjartansson
Figures in Landscape (Tuesday), 2018
Excerpt
Single-channel video
Duration: 24 hours
Ragnar Kjartansson
Figures in Landscape (Wednesday), 2018
Single-channel video
Duration: 24 hours
Ragnar Kjartansson
Figures in Landscape (Wednesday), 2018
Excerpt
Single-channel video
Duration: 24 hours
Ragnar Kjartansson
Figures in Landscape (Thursday), 2018
Single-channel video
Duration: 24 hours
Ragnar Kjartansson
Figures in Landscape (Thursday), 2018
Excerpt
Single-channel video
Duration: 24 hours
Ragnar Kjartansson
Figures in Landscape (Friday), 2018
Single-channel video
Duration: 24 hours
Ragnar Kjartansson
Figures in Landscape (Friday), 2018
Excerpt
Single-channel video
Duration: 24 hours
Ragnar Kjartansson
Figures in Landscape (Saturday), 2018
Single-channel video
Duration: 24 hours
Ragnar Kjartansson
Figures in Landscape (Saturday), 2018
Excerpt
Single-channel video
Duration: 24 hours
Ragnar Kjartansson
Dope & Corruption, 2017
Polished stainless steel, electrical components, LED light
Edition of 3
91 1/4 x 19 5/8 x 3 7/8 inches
(232 x 50 x 10 cm)
Ragnar Kjartansson
Architecture and Morality, 2016
Oil on canvas
47 3/16 x 59 inches
(120 x 150 cm)
Ragnar Kjartansson
Architecture and Morality, 2016
Oil on canvas
47 3/16 x 59 inches
(120 x 150 cm)
Ragnar Kjartansson
Architecture and Morality, 2016
Oil on canvas
47 3/16 x 59 inches
(120 x 150 cm)
Ragnar Kjartansson
Architecture and Morality, 2016
Oil on canvas
47 3/16 x 59 inches
(120 x 150 cm)
Ragnar Kjartansson
Architecture and Morality, 2016
Oil on canvas
47 3/16 x 59 inches
(120 x 150 cm)
Ragnar Kjartansson
Architecture and Morality, 2016
Oil on canvas
47 3/16 x 59 inches
(120 x 150 cm)
Ragnar Kjartansson
Untitled, 2017
Oil on canvas
63 x 70 3/4 inches
(160 x 180 cm)
Ragnar Kjartansson
Woman in E, 2016
Originally performed at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Detroit
January 15 – April 10, 2016
Duration: 6 to 9 hours, daily
Photo: Andrew Miller
Ragnar Kjartansson
Woman in E, 2016
Originally performed at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Detroit
January 15 – April 10, 2016
Duration: 6 to 9 hours, daily
Installation view at the Hirschorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
Photo: Cathy Carver
Ragnar Kjartansson
Woman in E, 2016
Originally performed at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Detroit
January 15 – April 10, 2016
Duration: 6 to 9 hours, daily
Installation view at the Hirschorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
Photo: Cathy Carver
Ragnar Kjartansson
Omnipresent Salty Death, 2015
Watercolor on paper
22 7/8 x 29 7/8 inches
(58 x 76 cm)
Ragnar Kjartansson
Omnipresent Salty Death, 2015
Watercolor on paper
22 7/8 x 29 7/8 inches
(58 x 76 cm)
Ragnar Kjartansson
Omnipresent Salty Death, 2015
Watercolor on paper
22 7/8 x 29 7/8 inches
(58 x 76 cm)
Ragnar Kjartansson
Omnipresent Salty Death, 2015
Watercolor on paper
22 7/8 x 29 7/8 inches
(58 x 76 cm)
Ragnar Kjartansson
Omnipresent Salty Death, 2015
Watercolor on paper
22 7/8 x 29 7/8 inches
(58 x 76 cm)
Ragnar Kjartansson
Omnipresent Salty Death, 2015
Watercolor on paper
22 7/8 x 29 7/8 inches
(58 x 76 cm)
Ragnar Kjartansson
Omnipresent Salty Death, 2015
Watercolor on paper
22 7/8 x 29 7/8 inches
(58 x 76 cm)
Ragnar Kjartansson
Omnipresent Salty Death, 2015
Watercolor on paper
22 7/8 x 29 7/8 inches
(58 x 76 cm)
Ragnar Kjartansson
Omnipresent Salty Death, 2015
Watercolor on paper
22 7/8 x 29 7/8 inches
(58 x 76 cm)
Ragnar Kjartansson
Die Nacht der Hochzeit, 2015
Watercolor on paper
36 2/3 x 50 inches
(93 x 127 cm)
Ragnar Kjartansson
Die Nacht der Hochzeit, 2015
Watercolor on paper
36 2/3 x 50 inches
(93 x 127 cm)
Ragnar Kjartansson
Die Nacht der Hochzeit, 2015
Watercolor on paper
19 1/4 x 26 1/16 inches
(48.9 x 66.2 cm)
Ragnar Kjartansson
Die Nacht der Hochzeit, 2015
Watercolor on paper
35 5/8 x 49 3/8 inches
(90.5 x 125.4 cm)
Ragnar Kjartansson
Die Nacht der Hochzeit, 2015
Watercolor on paper
19 1/4 x 26 1/16 inches
(48.9 x 66.3 cm)
Ragnar Kjartansson
World Light – The Life and Death of an Artist, 2015
Four-channel video
Duration: 20 hours, 45 minutes, 22 seconds
Commissioned by Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary, Vienna
Ragnar Kjartansson
World Light – The Life and Death of an Artist, 2015
Four-channel video
Duration: 20 hours, 45 minutes, 22 seconds
Commissioned by Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary, Vienna
Ragnar Kjartansson
World Light – The Life and Death of an Artist, 2015
Four-channel video
Duration: 20 hours, 45 minutes, 22 seconds
Commissioned by Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary, Vienna
Ragnar Kjartansson
World Light – The Life and Death of an Artist, 2015
Four-channel video
Duration: 20 hours, 45 minutes, 22 seconds
Commissioned by Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary, Vienna
Ragnar Kjartansson
World Light – The Life and Death of an Artist, 2015
Four-channel video
Duration: 20 hours, 45 minutes, 22 seconds
Commissioned by Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary, Vienna
Ragnar Kjartansson
World Light – The Life and Death of an Artist, 2015
Four-channel video
Duration: 20 hours, 45 minutes, 22 seconds
Commissioned by Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary, Vienna
Ragnar Kjartansson
Scenes From Western Culture, Burning House, 2015
Single channel video
Duration: 1 hour, 32 minutes
Ragnar Kjartansson
Scenes From Western Culture, Burning House, 2015
Excerpt
Single channel video
Duration: 1 hour, 32 minutes
Ragnar Kjartansson
Scenes from Western Culture, Rich German Children (Ingibjörg Sigurjónsdóttir), 2015
Single-channel video with sound
Duration: 52 minutes 46 seconds
Ragnar Kjartansson
Scenes from Western Culture, Rich German Children (Ingibjörg Sigurjónsdóttir), 2015
Excerpt
Single-channel video with sound
Duration: 52 minutes 46 seconds
Ragnar Kjartansson
Scenes from Western Culture, Dinner (Jason Moran and Alicia Hall Moran), 2015
Single-channel video with sound
Duration: 1 hour, 20 minutes, 46 seconds
Ragnar Kjartansson
Scenes from Western Culture, Dinner (Jason Moran and Alicia Hall Moran), 2015
Excerpt
Single-channel video with sound
Duration: 1 hour, 20 minutes, 46 seconds
Ragnar Kjartansson
Scenes from Western Culture, Dog and Clock, 2015
Single-channel video with sound
Duration: 19 minutes
Ragnar Kjartansson
Scenes from Western Culture, Dog and Clock, 2015
Excerpt
Single-channel video with sound
Duration: 19 minutes
Ragnar Kjartansson
Scenes from Western Culture, Lovers (Álfrún Magnúsdóttir and Atli Bollason), 2015
Single-channel video with sound
Duration: 38 minutes
Ragnar Kjartansson
Scenes from Western Culture, The Boat (Stephan Stephensen, Kristín Anna Valtýsdóttir and Gyða Valtýsdóttir), 2015
Single-channel video with sound
Duration: 2 hours 36 minutes
Ragnar Kjartansson
Scenes from Western Culture, The Boat (Stephan Stephensen, Kristín Anna Valtýsdóttir and Gyða Valtýsdóttir), 2015
Excerpt
Single-channel video with sound
Duration: 2 hours 36 minutes
Ragnar Kjartansson
Scenes from Western Culture, Guitar Lesson (Ólafía Hrönn Jónsdóttir, Logi Pedro Stefánsson), 2015
Single-channel video with sound
Duration: 38 minutes
Ragnar Kjartansson
Scenes from Western Culture, The Pool (Elizabeth Peyton), 2015
Single-channel video with sound
Duration: 24 minutes, 37 seconds
Ragnar Kjartansson
Scenes from Western Culture, The Pool (Elizabeth Peyton), 2015
Excerpt
Single-channel video with sound
Duration: 24 minutes, 37 seconds
Ragnar Kjartansson
Scenes from Western Culture, Gentleman (Kjartan Sveinsson), 2015
Single-channel video with sound
Duration: 3 hours, 10 minutes
Ragnar Kjartansson
Bjarni Bömmer Listens to Take It Easy by the Eagles, 2014
Oil on canvas
70 4/5 x 63 inches
(180 x 160 cm)
Ragnar Kjartansson
Bjarni Bömmer Listens to Take It Easy by the Eagles, 2014
Oil on canvas
70 4/5 x 63 inches
(180 x 160 cm)
Ragnar Kjartansson
Bjarni Bömmer Listens to Take It Easy by the Eagles, 2014
Oil on canvas
70 4/5 x 63 inches
(180 x 160 cm)
Ragnar Kjartansson
Bjarni Bömmer Listens to Take It Easy by the Eagles, 2014
Oil on canvas
70 4/5 x 63 inches
(180 x 160 cm)
Ragnar Kjartansson and The National
A Lot of Sorrow, 2013-2014
Single-channel video
Duration: 6 hours, 9 minutes, 35 seconds
Originally performed at MoMA PS1, as part of Sunday Sessions
Photo: Elísabet Davidsdottir
Ragnar Kjartansson and The National
"A Lot of Sorrow," 2013-2014
Excerpt
Single-channel video
Duration: 6 hours, 9 minutes, 35 seconds
Originally performed at MoMA PS1, as part of Sunday Sessions
Ragnar Kjartansson and The National
A Lot of Sorrow, 2013-2014
Single-channel video
Duration: 6 hours, 9 minutes, 35 seconds
Originally performed at MoMA PS1, as part of Sunday Sessions
Photo: Elísabet Davidsdottir
Ragnar Kjartansson and The National
A Lot of Sorrow, 2013-2014
Single-channel video
Duration: 6 hours, 9 minutes, 35 seconds
Originally performed at MoMA PS1, as part of Sunday Sessions
Photo: Elísabet Davidsdottir
Ragnar Kjartansson and The National
A Lot of Sorrow, 2013-2014
Single-channel video
Duration: 6 hours, 9 minutes, 35 seconds
Originally performed at MoMA PS1, as part of Sunday Sessions
Photo: Elísabet Davidsdottir
Ragnar Kjartansson and The National
A Lot of Sorrow, 2013-2014
Single-channel video
Duration: 6 hours, 9 minutes, 35 seconds
Originally performed at MoMA PS1, as part of Sunday Sessions
Photo: Elísabet Davidsdottir
Ragnar Kjartansson
S.S. Hangover, 2013
Performance for a boat and brass sextet
Music by Kjartan Sveinsson
Originally performed in the Arsenale, Venice, during the 55th Venice Biennale, Italy
June 1 – November 24, 2013
Duration: 6 hours, daily
Photo: Lilja Birgisdóttir
Ragnar Kjartansson
S.S. Hangover, 2013-2014
Excerpt
Two-channel video with sound
Duration: 2 hours and 46 minutes
Edition of 10 and 2 artist's proofs
Ragnar Kjartansson
S.S. Hangover, 2013
Performance for a boat and brass sextet
Music by Kjartan Sveinsson
Originally performed in the Arsenale, Venice, during the 55th Venice Biennale, Italy
June 1 – November 24, 2013
Duration: 6 hours, daily
Photo: Lilja Birgisdóttir
Ragnar Kjartansson
S.S. Hangover, 2013
Performance for a boat and brass sextet
Music by Kjartan Sveinsson
Originally performed in the Arsenale, Venice, during the 55th Venice Biennale, Italy
June 1 – November 24, 2013
Duration: 6 hours, daily
Photo: Lilja Birgisdóttir
Ragnar Kjartansson
S.S. Hangover, 2013
Performance for a boat and brass sextet at The Contemporary Austin, Laguna Gloria
Featuring musicians from Density512, Austin’s contemporary chamber orchestra collective
April 7 – May 6, 2018
Music by Kjartan Sveinsson
Originally performed in the Arsenale, Venice, during the 55th Venice Biennale, Italy, June 1 to November 24, 2013, daily for six hours
Photo: Lilja Birgisdóttir
Ragnar Kjartansson
S.S. Hangover, 2013
Performance for a boat and brass sextet at The Contemporary Austin, Laguna Gloria
Featuring musicians from Density512, Austin’s contemporary chamber orchestra collective
April 7 – May 6, 2018
Music by Kjartan Sveinsson
Originally performed in the Arsenale, Venice, during the 55th Venice Biennale, Italy, June 1 to November 24, 2013, daily for six hours
Photo: Lilja Birgisdóttir
Ragnar Kjartansson
S.S. Hangover, 2013
Performance for a boat and brass sextet at The Contemporary Austin, Laguna Gloria
Featuring musicians from Density512, Austin’s contemporary chamber orchestra collective
April 7 – May 6, 2018
Music by Kjartan Sveinsson
Originally performed in the Arsenale, Venice, during the 55th Venice Biennale, Italy, June 1 to November 24, 2013, daily for six hours
Photo: Lilja Birgisdóttir
Ragnar Kjartansson
The Visitors, 2012
Nine-channel HD video projection
Duration: 1 hour, 4 minutes
Photo: Elísabet Davidsdottir
Ragnar Kjartansson
The Visitors, 2012
Nine-channel HD video projection
Duration: 1 hour, 4 minutes
Installation view
February 1 – March 23, 2013
Luhring Augustine, New York
Ragnar Kjartansson
The Visitors, 2012
Nine-channel HD video projection
Duration: 1 hour, 4 minutes
Photo: Elísabet Davidsdottir
Ragnar Kjartansson
The Visitors, 2012
Nine-channel HD video projection
Duration: 1 hour, 4 minutes
Photo: Elísabet Davidsdottir
Ragnar Kjartansson
The Visitors, 2012
Nine-channel HD video projection
Duration: 1 hour, 4 minutes
Photo: Elísabet Davidsdottir
Ragnar Kjartansson
The Visitors, 2012
Nine-channel HD video projection
Duration: 1 hour, 4 minutes
Installation view
February 1 – March 23, 2013
Luhring Augustine, New York
Ragnar Kjartansson
The Visitors, 2012
Nine-channel HD video projection
Duration: 1 hour, 4 minutes
Photo: Elísabet Davidsdottir
Ragnar Kjartansson
The Visitors, 2012
Nine-channel HD video projection
Duration: 1 hour, 4 minutes
Photo: Elísabet Davidsdottir
Ragnar Kjartansson
The Visitors, 2012
Nine-channel HD video projection
Duration: 1 hour, 4 minutes
Photo: Elísabet Davidsdottir
Ragnar Kjartansson
The Visitors, 2012
Nine-channel HD video projection
Duration: 1 hour, 4 minutes
Photo: Elísabet Davidsdottir
Ragnar Kjartansson
The Visitors, 2012
Nine-channel HD video projection
Duration: 1 hour, 4 minutes
Photo: Elísabet Davidsdottir
Ragnar Kjartansson
To Music / An die Musik, 2012
Performed at the Migros Museum für Gegenwartskunst
June 10 – 17, 2012
Duartion: 4 to 8 hours, daily
Photo: Marie Lusa
Ragnar Kjartansson
To Music / An die Musik, 2012
Performed at the Migros Museum für Gegenwartskunst
June 10 – 17, 2012
Duartion: 4 to 8 hours, daily
Photo: Marie Lusa
Ragnar Kjartansson
To Music / An die Musik, 2012
Performed at the Migros Museum für Gegenwartskunst
June 10 – 17, 2012
Duartion: 4 to 8 hours, daily
Photo: Marie Lusa
Ragnar Kjartansson
To Music / An die Musik, 2012
Originally performed at the Migros Museum für Gegenwartskunst
Duartion: 4 to 8 hours, daily
Installation view, Reykjavik Art Museum, Iceland, 2017
Photo: Vigfús Birgisson
Ragnar Kjartansson
To Music / An die Musik, 2012
Originally performed at the Migros Museum für Gegenwartskunst
Duartion: 4 to 8 hours, daily
Installation view, Reykjavik Art Museum, Iceland, 2017
Photo: Vigfús Birgisson
Ragnar Kjartansson
To Music / An die Musik, 2012
Originally performed at the Migros Museum für Gegenwartskunst
Duartion: 4 to 8 hours, daily
Installation view, Reykjavik Art Museum, Iceland, 2017
Photo: Vigfús Birgisson
Ragnar Kjartansson
To Music / An die Musik, 2012
Originally performed at the Migros Museum für Gegenwartskunst
Duartion: 4 to 8 hours, daily
Installation view, Reykjavik Art Museum, Iceland, 2017
Photo: Vigfús Birgisson
Ragnar Kjartansson
Song, 2011
Single-channel video
Originally performed at the Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh
March 10 – 27, 2011
Duration: 6 hours, daily
Ragnar Kjartansson
Song, 2011
Excerpt
Single-channel video
Originally performed at the Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh
March 10 – 27, 2011
Duration: 6 hours, daily
Ragnar Kjartansson
Song, 2011
Single-channel video
Originally performed at the Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh
March 10 – 27, 2011
Duration: 6 hours, daily
Ragnar Kjartansson
Night – Ice Cream Grill, 2011
Oil on canvas
17 3/4 x 13 3/4 inches
(45 x 35 cm)
Ragnar Kjartansson
Night – Ash and City, 2011
Oil on canvas
23 5/8 x 33 1/2 inches
(60 x 85 cm)
Ragnar Kjartansson
Night – May Snow, 2011
Oil on canvas
39 3/8 x 31 1/2 inches
(100 x 80 cm)
Ragnar Kjartansson
Night – The Wind, 2011
Oil on canvas
27 1/2 x 35 3/8 inches
(69.85 x 89.85 cm)
Ragnar Kjartansson
Night – Public Sculpture, 2011
Oil on canvas
25 5/8 x 21 5/8 inches
(65 x 55 cm)
Ragnar Kjartansson
The Man, 2010
Single-channel video with sound
Duration: 49 minutes
Ragnar Kjartansson
The Man, 2010
Excerpt
Single-channel video with sound
Duration: 49 minutes
Ragnar Kjartansson
The Man, 2010
Single-channel video with sound
Duration: 49 minutes
Ragnar Kjartansson
The Man, 2010
Single-channel video with sound
Duration: 49 minutes
Ragnar Kjartansson
The Man, 2010
Single-channel video with sound
Duration: 49 minutes
Ragnar Kjartansson
The Man, 2010
Single-channel video with sound
Duration: 49 minutes
Ragnar Kjartansson
Take me here by the Dishwasher: Memorial for Marriage, 2011
Performance installation featuring ten troubadours and an excerpt from the film Morðsaga
Music by Kjartan Sveinsson
Originally performed at BAWAG P.S.K. Contemporary, Vienna, Austria
Duration: 6 hours, daily
Installation view, Reykjavik Art Museum, Iceland, 2017
Photo: Vigfús Birgisson
Ragnar Kjartansson
Take me here by the Dishwasher: Memorial for Marriage, 2011
Performance installation featuring ten troubadours and an excerpt from the film Morðsaga
Music by Kjartan Sveinsson
Originally performed at BAWAG P.S.K. Contemporary, Vienna, Austria
Duration: 6 hours, daily
Installation view, Reykjavik Art Museum, Iceland, 2017
Photo: Vigfús Birgisson
Ragnar Kjartansson
Take me here by the Dishwasher: Memorial for Marriage, 2011
Performance installation featuring ten troubadours and an excerpt from the film Morðsaga
Music by Kjartan Sveinsson
Originally performed at BAWAG P.S.K. Contemporary, Vienna, Austria
Duration: 6 hours, daily
Installation view, Reykjavik Art Museum, Iceland, 2017
Photo: Vigfús Birgisson
Ragnar Kjartansson
Take me here by the Dishwasher: Memorial for Marriage, 2011
Performance installation featuring ten troubadours and an excerpt from the film Morðsaga
Music by Kjartan Sveinsson
Originally performed at BAWAG P.S.K. Contemporary, Vienna, Austria
Duration: 6 hours, daily
Installation view, Reykjavik Art Museum, Iceland, 2017
Photo: Vigfús Birgisson
Ragnar Kjartansson
Take me here by the Dishwasher: Memorial for Marriage, 2011
Performance installation featuring ten troubadours and an excerpt from the film Morðsaga
Music by Kjartan Sveinsson
Originally performed at BAWAG P.S.K. Contemporary, Vienna, Austria
May 6 — June 26, 2011
Duration: 6 hours, daily
Photo: Oliver Ottenschlager
Ragnar Kjartansson
Take me here by the Dishwasher: Memorial for Marriage, 2011
Performance installation featuring ten troubadours and an excerpt from the film Morðsaga
Music by Kjartan Sveinsson
Originally performed at BAWAG P.S.K. Contemporary, Vienna, Austria
May 6 — June 26, 2011
Duration: 6 hours, daily
Photo: Oliver Ottenschlager
Ragnar Kjartansson
Take me here by the Dishwasher: Memorial for Marriage, 2011
Performance installation featuring ten troubadours and an excerpt from the film Morðsaga
Music by Kjartan Sveinsson
Originally performed at BAWAG P.S.K. Contemporary, Vienna, Austria
May 6 — June 26, 2011
Duration: 6 hours, daily
Photo: Oliver Ottenschlager
Ragnar Kjartansson
The End – Venezia, 2009
144 paintings, oil on canvas
Dimensions variable
Performed at the Icelandic Pavilion during the 53rd Venice Biennale, Italy
June 14 – November 22, 2009
Duration: 6 hours, daily
Ragnar Kjartansson
The End – Venezia, 2009
144 paintings, oil on canvas
Dimensions variable
Performed at the Icelandic Pavilion during the 53rd Venice Biennale, Italy
June 14 – November 22, 2009
Duration: 6 hours, daily
Ragnar Kjartansson
The End – Venezia, 2009
144 paintings, oil on canvas
Dimensions variable
Performed at the Icelandic Pavilion during the 53rd Venice Biennale, Italy
June 14 – November 22, 2009
Duration: 6 hours, daily
Ragnar Kjartansson
The End – Venezia, 2009
144 paintings, oil on canvas
Dimensions variable
Performed at the Icelandic Pavilion during the 53rd Venice Biennale, Italy
June 14 – November 22, 2009
Duration: 6 hours, daily
Ragnar Kjartansson
The End – Venezia, 2009
144 paintings, oil on canvas
Dimensions variable
Performed at the Icelandic Pavilion during the 53rd Venice Biennale, Italy
June 14 – November 22, 2009
Duration: 6 hours, daily
Installation view
June 25 – August 13, 2010
Luhring Augustine, New York
Ragnar Kjartansson
The End – Venezia, 2009
144 paintings, oil on canvas
Dimensions variable
Performed at the Icelandic Pavilion during the 53rd Venice Biennale, Italy
June 14 – November 22, 2009
Duration: 6 hours, daily
Installation view
June 25 – August 13, 2010
Luhring Augustine, New York
Ragnar Kjartansson
The End – Rocky Mountains, 2009
Five-channel video
Duration: 30 minutes
Commissioned for the Icelandic Pavilion at the 53rd Venice Biennale, Italy
Ragnar Kjartansson
The End – Rocky Mountains, 2009
Five-channel video
Duration: 30 minutes
Commissioned for the Icelandic Pavilion at the 53rd Venice Biennale, Italy
Ragnar Kjartansson
The End – Rocky Mountains, 2009
Five-channel video
Duration: 30 minutes
Commissioned for the Icelandic Pavilion at the 53rd Venice Biennale, Italy
Ragnar Kjartansson
The Schumann Machine, 2008
Video, six photographs, vinyl disc and hard disc
Duration: 52 minutes, 15 seconds
Ragnar Kjartansson
The Schumann Machine, 2008
Excerpt
Video, six photographs, vinyl disc and hard disc
Duration: 52 minutes, 15 seconds
Ragnar Kjartansson
The Schumann Machine, 2008
Video, six photographs, vinyl disc and hard disc
Duration: 52 minutes, 15 seconds
Ragnar Kjartansson
The Schumann Machine, 2008
Video, six photographs, vinyl disc and hard disc
Duration: 52 minutes, 15 seconds
Ragnar Kjartansson
God, 2007
Single-channel video, with pink curtains
Duration: 30 minutes
Music by Davíð Þór Jónsson and Ragnar Kjartansson
Commissioned by Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary, Vienna and The Living Art Museum, Reykjavík
Photo: Rafael Pinho
Ragnar Kjartansson
God, 2007
Excerpt
Single-channel video, with pink curtains
Duration: 30 minutes
Music by Dav Þór Jónsson and Ragnar Kjartansson
Commissioned by Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary, Vienna and The Living Art Museum, Reykjavík
Ragnar Kjartansson
God, 2007
Single-channel video, with pink curtains
Duration: 30 minutes
Music by Dav Þór Jónsson and Ragnar Kjartansson
Commissioned by Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary, Vienna and The Living Art Museum, Reykjavík
Photo: Rafael Pinho
Ragnar Kjartansson
Scandinavian Pain, 2006
Neon sculpture
22 3/4 x 480 inches
(57.8 x 1219.2 cm)
Performed and commissioned for Momentum, Nordic Biennial for Contemporary Art, Moss, Norway
Music by Ólafur Björn Ólafsson
September 2 – 10, 2006
Duration: 6 hours, daily
Ragnar Kjartansson
Scandinavian Pain, 2006
Neon sculpture
22 3/4 x 480 inches
(57.8 x 1219.2 cm)
Photo credit: Pirje Mykkänen
Ragnar Kjartansson
Scandinavian Pain, 2006
Neon sculpture
22 3/4 x 480 inches
(57.8 x 1219.2 cm)
Photo credit: Pirje Mykkänen
Ragnar Kjartansson
Scandinavian Pain, 2006
Neon sculpture
22 3/4 x 480 inches
(57.8 x 1219.2 cm)
Photo credit: Pirje Mykkänen
Ragnar Kjartansson
The Great Unrest, 2005
Performed at Dagsbrún House as part of the Reykjavík Arts Festival, Reykjavík
May 16 – June 20, 2005
Duration: 6 hours, daily
Ragnar Kjartansson
The Great Unrest, 2005
Performed at Dagsbrún House as part of the Reykjavík Arts Festival, Reykjavík
May 16 – June 20, 2005
Duration: 6 hours, daily
Ragnar Kjartansson
The Great Unrest, 2005
Performed at Dagsbrún House as part of the Reykjavík Arts Festival, Reykjavík
May 16 – June 20, 2005
Duration: 6 hours, daily
Ragnar Kjartansson
The Great Unrest, 2005
Performed at Dagsbrún House as part of the Reykjavík Arts Festival, Reykjavík
May 16 – June 20, 2005
Duration: 6 hours, daily
Ragnar Kjartansson
Satan is Real, 2004
Single-channel video
Duration: 1 hour, 3 minutes, 40 seconds
Ragnar Kjartansson
Satan is Real, 2004
Excerpt
Single-channel video
Duration: 1 hour, 3 minutes, 40 seconds
Ragnar Kjartansson
Death and the Children, 2002
Single-channel video
Duration: 4 minutes, 54 seconds
Ragnar Kjartansson
Death and the Children, 2002
Excerpt
Single-channel video
Duration: 4 minutes, 54 seconds
Ragnar Kjartansson
Death and the Children, 2002
Single-channel video
Duration: 4 minutes, 54 seconds
Ragnar Kjartansson: "I'm not an authentic human being" by the Louisiana Channel
For more information, please contact Sasha Helinski at sasha@luhringaugustine.com.