ragnar kjartansson at i8 gallery

‘song’, 2011 by ragnar kjartansson courtesy of ragnar kjartansson, luhring augustine + i8 gallery

ragnar kjartansson i8 gallery, reykjavík, iceland on now until january 21st, 2012

designboom has received images of an installation by the icelandic artist ragnar kjartansson investigating themes of mortality and love. on display at i8 gallery, the primarily performance-based artist’s film ‘song’ taken from the extended site-specific piece at the carnegie museum of art is complemented by several of water color paintings of the ‘from the valley of world-weariness in british columbia’ series. the artist’s body of work explores the grim and darkened facets of life while also appreciating the absurd, whimsical and humorous aspects of existence, ultimately resulting in dream-like exhibition.

similar to past performance works such as ‘the end’, ‘the great unrest’, or ‘satan is real’, ‘song’ is a long-duration piece in which the figures featured in the work reflect the artist’s interest in music, theater and the performer while inhabiting a gallery or non-performance space. however, where kjartansson’s past projects often speak to a dark and isolated reality of icelandic life, the ‘song’ performance by his nieces highlight family and femininity through the ritualistic and repetitive nature in their singing of a love hymn.

‘song’, 2011. HD video. duration 6 hours. (two minute excerpt). courtesy of the artist and luhring augustine + i8 gallery

the video ‘song’ depicts a performance conducted by kjartansson featuring his nieces, ragnheidur harpa leifsdóttir, rakel mjöll leifsdóttir, and íris maría leifsdóttir. filmed at the carnegie museum of art, the leifsdóttir sisters lived in the institution’s hall of sculpture for three weeks, singing a song written by kjartansson and loosely based upon an allen ginsberg poem he ‘often misremembered’. throughout the entirety of the filmed portion of their performance, the women sit on a blue circular pedestal, singing for a duration of six-hours. their performance is filmed by a camera which encircles the structure, capturing the scene in a hypnotic single shot. the slight visible movement of the camera-handler further engages the viewer in the space, slightly breaking the eerie connection between the filmed performers and their audience. kjartansson’s interest in the icelandic oral tradition of storytelling is represented by the manner in which the modern poems were altered to resemble folk songs of the region.

a still from the ‘song’ video

‘my work often is about this ethic of ‘pretense. that’s my field of interest—the friction between pretending and doing; pretense and reality at the same time. it’s a constant struggle between truth and lies, and between tongue-in-cheek and deadly serious.‘ -ragnar kjartansson to the carnegie museum of art in regards to his tone and subject matter.

an alternate still view of the film

‘there is no visual art history in iceland—almost no objects. but there are all these stories: nothing but sagas and poetry for a thousand years. my performative works exist mostly as stories. I’ve never believed in the idea that you have to obtain the art piece to have it—you don’t even have to see the art piece!‘ -ragnar kjartansson to the carnegie museum of art in regards to his performance medium

images of ragnar kjartansson’s ‘from the valley of world-weariness in british columbia’, current on show at i8 gallery along with his video installation ‘song’

the gallery goer walks through a hallway within the art space, surrounded by the watercolor works by the artist created during a trip to the wilderness of western canada on their way to view ‘song’.

installation images from ragnar kjartansson’s show at i8 gallery

‘from the valley of world-weariness in british columbia’. series of 11 watercolors on paper. 30.5 x 40.5 cm. courtesy of the artist and luhring augustine + i8 gallery

kjartansson’s abstract depictions of burnt pine trees were quickly scrawled as he encountered the unliving figures in his travels through rural british columbia. the group of eleven watercolors were developed by the artist as a reflection upon the surreal quality of his very natural surroundings in this journey. similar to his film work, kijartansson’s approach to painting has an especially performative approach.

‘the valley was just like walking in a enormous symbolist installation and the paintings are souvenirs of that unreal place‘ -ragnar kjartansson