Ragnar Kjartansson

A monotype is a one-off print in which a smooth surface is painted with acrylic paint, oil paint or printing ink. A sheet of paper is then placed on top of it. Rubbing on the back of the paper creates a (monotype) print. Kjartansson's unique Empty Buckets I-IV (2022) series exemplifies his playful and relatable conception of artistry. We see four sheets depicting a grassy landscape with colourful buckets. The first sheet depicts one bucket. The second sheet shows two buckets, and so on. It is an almost nihilistic sequence on which any attempt at interpretation seems to backfire. After all, what are those buckets doing in that grass and why a series of four? The artist himself says that with this series he wanted to make "country songs about nothing" as a tribute to Texan country and western singer Tom T. Hall, who has 11 Nr. 1 hits to his name. Kjartannson is a great admirer of Hall for his enormous productivity and for the lightness and simplicity of his songs: "He got up every morning, drank coffee and wrote a song". The Empty Buckets series is characterised by the same attitude: art is regular everyday work. In this case, the artist also seems interested in teasing those who want to assign profound meanings to everything in art.