TBA21 Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary
About
Back
About
Who we are
The world we want to see
How we work
Our journey to regenerative practice
Partners
Awards and Recognitions
Press highlights
People
Exhibitions
TBA21–Academy
Back
TBA21–Academy
About
The Current
Meandering
Culturing the Deep Sea
OCEAN / UNI
Ocean Fellowship
Academy Exhibitions
Academy Events
Academy Commissions
Academy Residencies
Academy Radio
Collection
Back
Collection
About
Commissions
On view
Artists
Program
Publications
Archive
Back
Archive
MNTB Exhibitions
Ephemeropteræ
Performances
Commissions & Productions
TBA21 Sites - physical and digital
MNTB Madrid
Back
MNTB Madrid
MNTB Exhibitions
MNTB Public Program
Visit
Ocean Space Venice
C3A Córdoba
Back
C3A Córdoba
C3A Exhibitions
C3A Public Program
Visit
AHF Jamaica
Ocean-Archive.org
TBA21 on st_age
highlights es
Tarek Atoui. At-Tāriq
A Journey into the Rural Music Traditions of North Africa and the Arab World
Tarek Atoui. At-Tāriq | Public Program
Organismo | Art in Applied Critical Ecologies
Independent study program, Year One
Organismo | Public program
Independent study program, Year One
The Ecologies of Peace II
The Ecologies of Peace II - Winter Mediation program
Otras montañas las que andan sueltas bajo el agua
Exhibition at Ocean Space - Venice
Echoes of the Sanctuary
Webs of Water
An Online Activations Series
Becoming Ocean
TBA21–Academy’s Ocean Space Wins Flash Art Italia Award for Innovation and Sustainability
A first look at our 2025 exhibition program
Press

Imprint
Privacy
Accessibility
Newsletter

Instagram
Facebook
Twitter
Youtube
LinkedIn
EN
ES
Home
Menu

Ragnar Kjartansson
God, 2007

Installation view: God, The Living Art Museum, Reykjavik, Iceland, 2007
Photo: Rafael Pinho | The Living Art Museum | Courtesy the artist | Luhring Augustine, New York | Galleri I8, Reykjavik.
Ragnar Kjartansson
Commissions & Productions
Commissions

Single-channel video installation (color, sound), pink curtains
30 min
Overall dimensions variable
Commissioned by Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary  and The Living Art Museum, Reykjavik


In the video God Ragnar Kjartansson, supported by eleven musicians, repeatedly sings the words "Sorrow Conquers Happiness". The melancholic message is delivered in true Frank Sinatra style, interfusing the 1930s with our contemporary age. The setting of the video installation is impressive: the stage (in the video) and the surrounding - real - exhibition space is covered (and connected) with elegant lavish bright pink curtains.
"The main goal with the original installation in The Living Art Museum in Reykjavik was to change people's preconception of that space. Concerning the importance of the installation with the video then, it is vital that the piece surrounds the viewer with its pink lustrous eternity. In a pink space you become a little bit emotional. I also like how the film is linked to the notion of fake reality because it was shot at an angle that creates the perspective illusion." – Excerpt from an interview with Ragnar Kjartansson, published in the TBA21 Collection Book

PAST LOANS 

Solo Exhibition: Ragnar Kjartansson: Emotional Landscapes
Venue: Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza
Curators: Soledad Gutiérrez
February 22, 2022 - June 26, 2022


*1976 in Reykjavík, Iceland | Living and working in Reykjavík, Iceland
RELATED PROGRAM
Ragnar Kjartansson
The End, 2009
Ragnar Kjartansson
The Man, 2010
Ragnar Kjartansson
The Palace of the Summerland, 2014
Ragnar Kjartansson
The Visitors, 2012
Ragnar Kjartansson
Stars Exploding, 2013
Ragnar Kjartansson The Visitors
Ragnar Kjartansson and friends – The Palace of the Summerland April 3–June 8, 2014 | TBA21–Augarten, Vienna
Artists
Ragnar Kjartansson