The Icelandic performance artist is one of the most celebrated in the world, and recently came to London for a solo exhibition.
Kjartansson sits at the cutting edge of performance art and his work wowed the crowds at London’s Barbican Centre July 14–Sept. 4. The main features of the exhibition were the video installation The Visitors (2012) and the live performance of Take Me Here by the Dishwasher: Memorial for a Marriage (2011). The latter features 10 troubadours who sang throughout every day of the exhibition for up to eight hours per day, while a soft-focus sex scene plays out on a screen behind them.
It’s thought-provoking stuff, especially when you consider the actors in the sex scene are none other than Kjartansson’s own parents. This arguably shows the artist is not afraid of revealing some of his own psychological baggage, but different works are more intent on pushing other people to the limit. Kjartansson plays with the theme of repetition in A Lot of Sorrow (2013), in which he records indie band The National playing their song “Sorrow” for six hours on repeat.
There is plenty to think about with Kjartansson, and you might find yourself wondering if you are also part of the joke. While the show is unlikely to be to everyone’s taste, it is surely part of the fun to see if you are taken in by the work or simply ground down by it.
The Barbican Centre is located a short walk north of the City of London. The nearest tube is Barbican or Liverpool Street. Upcoming shows include Bedwyr Williams and Omer Arbel.
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