Ragnar Kjartansson

Grand and compelling, yet also comical and offering perspective: this is the oeuvre of Icelandic artist Ragnar Kjartansson (1976) in a nutshell. With large-scale video installations, operas and musical scores in addition to paintings and graphic work, he adopts a striking and unique stance in contemporary art. De Pont has recently acquired the intimate and confrontational video Me and My Mother, along with a surprising series of etchings and woodcuts.

Kjartansson – who also works with other media such as theater, music, painting, performance and literature – is especially known for his large-scale video installations. In 2009 he represented Iceland at the Venice Biennale with a memorable performance in which, as the stereotypical image of a romantic artist, he spent a half year drawing his model while drinking and smoking away.