Reykjavík Grapevine - 05.10.2007, Page 20

Artist and musician Ragnar Kjartansson opens a
solo exhibition at the Living Art Museum (Nylo) this
Saturday, October 6. Ragnar, known both as the sing-
er of electro pop group Trabant and as an inventive
performance artist, collaborated with composer and
Flís pianist Davíð Þór Jónsson to create his newest
piece, entitled ”God”. Accompanied by the experi-
mental jazz-trio Flís and a mini symphony orchestra,
he has filmed a 30-minute long musical video, which
will be displayed for the first time at Nylo. Grapevine
sat down with Ragnar and Davíð Þór to find out
more about it.

Can you start by explaining what this exhibi-
tion is all about?
Ragnar: The exhibition is named ‘God’. The walls
inside Nylo are going to be covered with pink sat-
in and in the end of the room will be the video,
which features a big band playing and me singing.
The loop is called ‘Sorrow Conquers Happiness’
and will be played over and over again. I said this
phrase, “Sorrow Conquers Happiness”, during a Tra-
bant concert at NASA once and everyone in the
crowd seemed to agree with me. It also reminded
me of something my dad told me once at Christ-
mas. He called me into the living room and said
very seriously: “Ragnar, it’s both sad and beautiful
to be a human being.”
Davíð Þór: This weird beauty has followed us
around when we have worked on projects together;
the beauty and sadness in being so lively.
Ragnar: The pink satin represents that feeling in a
way.
How did the collaboration between you two
come about?
Davíð Þór: We got this genius to come and perform
at the Flís release concert. He showed up with a
whole stage set and repeated himself for half an
hour before our show.
Ragnar: That’s basically how this all started. This
performance, ‘Sorrow Conquers Happiness’. It was
a beautiful piece and I wanted to do it again with
many musicians. This time we created a mini-ver-
sion of a big band. In all there are about 12 musi-
cians who stand still while I sing. This video is sort
of like a singing painting.
Your previous works are characterised by a
mix between music and theatre, drama and
humour…
Ragnar: Yes, and this video is a mix of music and
cinema. It is a large production, filmed in the Lati-
bær studio. The video deals a lot with the future
and asks the question: What does the future hold
for us? Nothing but sorrow.
Nothing but sorrow? That isn’t very positive.
Ragnar: Yes, both good sorrow and bad sorrow. It’s
not very positive, I know, and this is a very dramatic
exhibition. We try to create a certain situation.
People can come and watch the video and then go
home and groan a little, maybe.
Davíð Þór: Perhaps it will have the opposite effect
on other people. People that are usually very sad
might become happy after watching the video.
Ragnar: It is also partly based on a struggle I’ve
been dealing with. I used to be very religious as a
teenager but all of a sudden, it disappeared. I was
pretty bummed about it. But this all started as a
joke. When we were thinking about a title for the
exhibition we said: “Why not just call it God!” and
then laughed about it. But then I found ‘God’ a very
fitting title for the exhibition. It’s such a serious
thing to say, ‘God’.
You once did a performance called ‘Satan is
Real.’ Is there a connection between the two
pieces?
Ragnar: Not really. But they are connected in a way
that I’m fascinated about big emotions and big
titles.
The exhibition opens this Saturday at 20:00.
Will there be any happenings at the opening?
Ragnar: Well, this is such an elegant piece that
I really want to have an elegant opening. A gala
opening. I once saw a video from an opening in the
US in the 1960s and everyone was wearing a tux. I
though that was very cool.
So there will be a dress code?
Ragnar: Yes, an elegant dress code.

The exhibition is open from October 5 to November 4
Text by Steinunn Jakobsdóttir
In retrospect Iceland has never lacked activism,
and many prideful moments of Icelandic history
are examples of social disobedience. In medieval
times it was the “heathen folk” denying Christianity,
later students and townsfolk arguing for the coun-
try’s sovereignty, and later on our own flag instead
of a Danish one. Sadly, here in Iceland political fer-
vour has often given way to apathy. And therefore
Áslaug Einarsdóttir’s and Garðar Stéfansson’s film
Sófakynslóðin, or The Sofa Generation, which is
now being shown at RIFF, is a healthy wake up call
to Icelanders to loosen their grip on the television
remote a bit.
What began as a summer job for Amnesty In-
ternational for both of them turned out to be the
genesis of this film, so when asked on the other
hand what the impetus for the film was Einarsdót-
tir simply states that “We noticed that there was
this prevailing interest in the younger generation
to actually take part in social issues, change them
and make a difference. However, they had no clue
whatsoever as how to start, or even what the term
meant”. And so it was with that mindset that they
decided to in their own words “show the different
aspects of activism flourishing in Iceland and offer
a fresh take on discourse surrounding it” in a soci-
ety lacking radical activism.
Leftist Activism in Iceland?
The movie itself is an aggregation of interviews
conducted with various people that take part in
grass roots activism in some kind of shape and
form. Interviewees from Amnesty International,
The Icelandic Feminist Movement and what would
later become and now is Saving Iceland, and vari-
ous other groups focusing on natural preservation.
Yet, in no way does the film lean more to the left,
or as Einarsdóttir states “the goal was to show all
aspects, both poles of the political spectrum. For
example, some complained about our depicture
of the Iceland-Palestine movement as being biased,
yet at the same time no Zionist group is making it-
self heard. You simply can’t show something that is
not visible”. When asked about this seemingly all
encompassing undercurrent of fear of taking part
in important issues and being an activist, she then
speaks a simple truth often stated by others:
“I think people in Iceland are, perhaps, afraid
of straying from the norm, being unconventional
or even being called a communist’”. She also men-
tions that there are “however a few examples of
activism from the right, e.g. when the young Inde-
pendent Party members tried to sell and give beer
on the streets”.
Reaching out to the Sofa Generation
One cannot help but wonder if the title of the film
could lead to a conundrum when considering
these words spoken in it: “We are the sofa genera-
tion, a sofa-country. All we do is sit on the sofa and
disapprove and yet we do nothing, nothing at all”.
So how do you exactly ensnare an audience and
awaken its passions when faced with this problem:
The Sofa Generation? Fortunately, Einarsdóttir says
that they set out with the goal of not only raising
awareness but also making sure discussions were
being held. So they visited colleges around the city,
focusing on their prime audience which is the Ice-
landic youth because as she says “Of course, there
are lots of generalisations about what activists are.
One question I received directly after screening
the movie was: “Are you one of those hippies like in
the film?” And adding “Last summer the prejudice
and narrow-mindedness of the media and certain
people in the public was astounding when foreign
activists here protested heavy industry”. Because,
as mentioned above, there is a certain fear that
activism is only left sided – but the fact remains,
as Einarsdóttir says, is: “I would like to see certain
misconceptions shattered, as some individuals in
the film are more famous for other things than let’s
say, activism”. However, as far as foreign distribution
goes she says that they are waiting for answers. Hav-
ing shown the film in Buenos Aires, for example, the
people there were amazed at what they considered
our very distinct approach to activism here. And so
if you are looking for the underbelly of Icelandic
political and social discourse – then look no fur-
ther.
Sofa Generation is being shown during the Reyk-
javík International Film Festival at Regnbogabíó on
Sunday Oct 7.
Text by Marvin Lee Dupree
Singing Painting at Nylo Awakening the Couch Potatoes
“It also reminded me of
something my dad told
me once at Christmas. He
called me into the living
room and said very seri-
ously: ‘Ragnar, it’s both
sad and beautiful to be a
human being.’”
“One question I received
directly after screening
the movie was: ‘Are you
one of those hippies like
in the film?’”
Artist Ragnar Kjartansson exhibits at The Living Art
Museum. Photo by GAS
Stills from the movie Sófakynslóðin (The Sofa
Generation)
20 | Reykjavík Grapevine | Issue 16 2007 | Interview Article | Reykjavík Grapevine | Issue 14 2007 | 21
EDDAS AND SAGAS
Iceland’s national treasures
The Culture House - Þjóðmenningarhúsið
National Centre for Cultural Heritage
Hverfi sgata 15, 101 Reykjavik
Tel.: +354 545 1400, www.thjodmenning.is
Open daily between 11am and 5pm
The admission fee grants entry to all exhibitions at the Culture House. Adults ISK 300. Senior citizens ISK 200.
Students ISK 200. Free entry for children 16 years of age or younger. Admission is free on Wednesdays.
An open guided tour of the Manuscripts exhibition is offered every weekday except Wednesdays at 3:30 pm.
MEDIEVAL MANUSCRIPTS – EDDAS AND SAGAS. EXHIBITION AT THE CULTURE HOUSE.
Lárus & Lárus
Really?
I once had amnesia Or maybe it was twice?
ALWAYS
NICE
OKTOBERFEST

Come and Experience it,
Reykjavik style!

Pósthússtræti 2, 101 Reykjavik – ICELAND / +354 599 1000 www.saltrestaurant.is