Ragnar Kjartansson
Ragnar Kjartansson
b. 1976, Reykjavík, Iceland; lives and works in Reykjavík
Work in exhibition
Ragnar Kjartansson and The National
A Lot of Sorrow, 2013–14
Single-channel video, 6 hr. 9 min. 35 sec.
See all installation views at higher resolution: www.flickr.com/photos/parasophia/sets/72157656461888628
For Parasophia, Ragnar Kjartansson and The National present A Lot of Sorrow (2013–14). Kjartansson is an Icelandic artist who has had solo shows at institutions worldwide, and has participated in two Venice Biennales, representing Iceland in the 2009 iteration. The National, a highly praised American band formed in 1999, consists of musicians Matt Berninger, Aaron and Bryce Dessner, and Scott and Bryan Devendorf. A Lot of Sorrow, conceived by Kjartansson and executed by The National, is an over six-hour video, which was filmed during a performance at MoMA PS1 in 2013. For the event, The National played their three minute, twenty-five second song “Sorrow” live on stage, repeatedly and continuously, for six hours. Multiple camera angles grant the viewer access to several perspectives as the band and the crowd feed off each other’s energy with every repetition.
-
Ragnar Kjartansson and The National, A Lot of Sorrow, 2013–14. Installation view at Kyoto Municipal Museum of Art for Parasophia: Kyoto International Festival of Contemporary Culture 2015. Photo by Norimasa Kawata
