Where pop music, art history, contemporary art and political allusions meet: Icelandic video artist, performance artist and painter Ragnar Kjartansson (*1976) is considered a versatile artist and one of the most interesting voices of our time. In his first solo exhibition in Estonia, he presents works from the last 20 years that repeatedly deal with the boundaries between reality and fiction and collective notions of the »artist«. Absurdity, repetition, banality and theatricality are fundamental design elements of his work, which represents a counter-design to the addiction to novelty and volatility of modern society. Ragnar Kjartansson: A Boy and a Girl and a Bush and a Bird runs from May 16 to September 21 at Kumu in Tallinn. The Estonian art museum was voted European Museum of the Year in 2008.
Kjartansson lives and works in Reykjavík. He is the grandson of the sculptor and ceramicist of the same name (1923-1988), who is considered one of Iceland's most important artists. Kjartansson, who studied art in Reykjavík and Stockholm, has repeatedly made a name for himself with long-term performances that often include music. In his playful, ironic works, he attempts to evoke authentic feelings in the audience through deliberate staging. In 2009, Kjartansson represented Iceland at the Venice Biennale. His video work The Visitors (2012) was named the best work of art of the 21st century by the Guardian in 2019.
