Ragnar Kjartansson

Painting plays a major role in Kjartansson’s oeuvre. In this the act of painting, as a performance, has prime significance. In these watercolours – which began as a wedding present for a friend – he paints the shimmering night sky over and again. Infinite space is both terrifying and seductive, evoking feelings of desire as well as loss. The starry sky also brings to mind stage sets: countless clichéd designs, but also the renowned set that Karl Friedrich Schinkel created for Mozarts’ The Magic Flute in 1816.