Scandinavian Pain
Artist
Ragnar Kjartansson
(Island, född 1976)
Date2006-2012
MediumNeon, aluminium
Dimensions50 x 1260 x 21 cm
ClassificationInstallations
Credit Line
Purchase 2012 (Nordic Collection)
Countries
Object NumberMOM/2012/50
CollectionsNordic Collection
The artwork is not on display
About the artworkRagnar Kjartansson’s pink neon work sheds new light on the so-called Scandinavian gloom. The first time it was shown it was mounted on a real barn, in which Kjartansson staged a one-week performance where he played on the stereotypical melancholic Nordic artist. The concept of Nordic gloom, which the films of Ingmar Bergman contributed to spreading internationally, has a long history. At the turn of the 19th century, many Nordic artists and writers, with Edvard Munch and August Strindberg at the forefront, channelled this gloom as their inspiration and expressive style. Combining sad poetry with subtle humour, Kjartansson’s works often focus on male clichés, as he throws himself headlong between feelings of despair, doom and euphoria. He plays the romantic Artist – boundless, searching, suffering – while making fun of the image. The title of the work and the concept itself, Scandinavian Pain, tacitly suggests that this is a “luxury".
Signatures, inscriptions and marks Osignerad Selected exhibition history Scandinavian Pain: Ragnar Kjartansson, Edvard Munch (den 3 maj 2013 - den 25 augusti 2013) Moderna Museet Malmö
Signatures, inscriptions and marks Osignerad Selected exhibition history Scandinavian Pain: Ragnar Kjartansson, Edvard Munch (den 3 maj 2013 - den 25 augusti 2013) Moderna Museet Malmö