Reykjavík Grapevine - 01.02.2019, Side 24

For nearly two decades Ragnar Kjar-
tansson has worked within various
realms of art. His most recent piece—
‘Figures in Landscape’—is a video in-
stallation and a sort of clock that pres-
ents an alternate perception of time. It’s
his most high-tech endeavour to date,
but during the challenging process of
putting it together, Ragnar never lost
his sense of irony and made showing
up for work fun.
A natural condition
Throughout his career, Ragnar has
made us question what being an art-
ist really means—leaving some unsure
how to interpret his expression. “I sin-
cerely believe in the concept of duality,”
he states. “I think beauty and irony can
exist simultaneously. It’s a combination
I enjoy.”
Ragnar considers Halldór Kiljan
Laxness—Iceland’s most-beloved writ-
er and poet—as an inspiration, and a
supreme example of this sort of duality.
“He wrote the most beautiful sentences
the Icelandic language has seen,” the
artist explains. “Yet, I envision him
grinning as he wrote them. He was a
modernist, way ahead of his time, play-
ing around with romanticism.”
In Ragnar’s opinion, irony is a natu-
ral condition that makes life enjoyable.
“Sincere and serious conversations
always have a dash of irony.” he says.
“Even when its something close to your
heart, irony lurks.”
The title of Ragnar’s most recent ex-
hibition could be considered ironic in
its straight-forwardness. “It references
art history directly and has a rhythm
similar to classical Greek poetry,” he
explains. “In Icelandic [‘Fígúrur í lands-
lagi’] it sounds like something Jóhannes
Kjarval [one of Iceland’s most impor-
tant painters] could have uttered.”
Figures in landscape
‘Figures in Landscape’ is the artist’s
fourth solo show with i8 Gallery, and
features seven 24-hour scenes playing
simultaneously on as many screens.
“I wanted to work with the concept of
time and the nature of painting,” he
states. “Each scene resembles a paint-
ing where nothing really happens. Long
moments that turn into days.”
A projection in the window of the
gallery will also give pedestrians and
the gallery’s neighbours a chance to ex-
perience the piece. “There is a certain
presence in the streets which I find in-
teresting,” Ragnar says. “This way I can
offer two different viewing experiences
of the piece. Each scene represents a day
in the week, so viewing it actually takes
a whole week.”
A nihilistic twist
The scenes depict people wearing
white lab coats, walking around in epic
landscapes. It was initially going to be
situated within the mundane reality
of hospital life. “The Danish Building
and Property Agency for the Faculty of
Health and Medical Sciences, Univer-
sity of Copenhagen commissioned me
to create a signature artwork for their
Maersk Tower,” the artist explains. “I
immediately had a vision of a video-
piece being shown in narrow corridors
where staff is making the rounds. At
first they’ll notice the mundane ex-
istence of the people in the white lab
coats and then the epic Gone With The
Wind-style backdrops they live in.”
Ragnar was inspired by the idea
of medical science and human prog-
Culture
Clichés From
Civilization
Ragnar Kjartansson on screensavers, and a lifelong obsession
Words: Alexander Jean de Fontenay Photos: Art Bicnick
Exhibition
See ‘Figures in
Landscape’, which
is ongoing 24/7,
at i8 gallery from
January 31st to
March 16th.
This man likes your screensaver