Ragnar Kjartansson: The Brown Period
The Brown Period is a yearlong exhibition by Ragnar Kjartansson at i8 Grandi. This presentation, which is Kjartansson's sixth solo show at i8, opened on 18 January and will be on view until 18 December 2025. Throughout the year, the artist will exhibit both new and existing works.
The Brown Period is an extended project, intended to be a dive into the realms of the experimental. As i8 Grandi is a short walk from Kjartansson's studio, the artist will treat the gallery as a project space where lucky strikes and failure collides. For the artist, the bass drum in the project space will be new video works and studio shorts, mixing drama, music, and cinematic indulgence. The works on view will continue to change throughout the year as the show evolves.
For the fourth installation of The Brown Period, i8 presents Kjartansson’s A Whole lot of Muses (2019) and Steak! Variation on Meat Joy (2013). Conceived in homage to Carolee Schneemann’s Meat Joy, a 1964 performative work by the groundbreaking conceptualist, Kjartansson’s Steak! Variation on Meat Joy exemplifies formality and restraint, in contrast to Schneemann’s untamed indulgence. Originally performed at London’s Tate Modern as part of the BMW Tate Live series, Kjartansson’s video features ten figures, including the artist, in period costume inside a Rococo-style dining room. Each table of diners eats a steak, which sits unceremoniously devoid of sides or drinks on a plate, as the sound of chewing resonates in the room. Each gnaw of the meat and cut of the knife is amplified by table microphones, and the monotony of the meal takes centre stage throughout the 23-minute and 11-second video. As everyone finishes their steak, the video concludes.
In the front room of the exhibition, Kjartansson’s A Whole lot of Muses fill the space. The sculptural grayscale paintings stand within the gallery, each propped up as if part of a theatrical set. First presented at Kjartansson’s 2019 solo exhibition at the Kunstmuseum Stuttgart, the works radiate with patriarchal ridiculousness and creative energy while channelling classical Greek and Roman goddess depictions.
Spanning far longer than traditional museum or gallery shows, i8 Grandi's programming focuses on concepts of space and time. The sustained duration of the annual format allows artists to consider how time affects their work, and the fluidity encourages audiences to revisit the changing installations. Kjartansson's is the fourth yearlong presentation at i8 Grandi, following exhibitions by Andreas Eriksson in 2024, B. Ingrid Olson in 2023, and Alicja Kwade in 2022.
