Page 52 - Contemporary Art and Old Masters

Originally commissioned by C Project and curated by Tom
Eccles, the piece premiered at the Women’s Building, San
Francisco, in 2018.
In his videos, performances, and installations, Ragnar
RAGNAR KJARTANSSON: Kjartansson stages durational actions based in the
ROMANTIC SONGS OF THE emotional and historical power of music and popular
PATRIARCHY culture. Growing up in a theatrical family, Kjartansson
witnessed the hard work of running lines, rehearsing, and
New York - The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
putting on the same productions night after night. This
Four-day Exhibition with Live Performance on View at the
generative monotony inspired him to structure his artworks
Guggenheim Museum from July 2 through 5
around rhythm, repetition, and endurance. Each of his
projects begins with a simple refrain—usually a song—that
is then performed, over and over again, for an extended
Ragnar Kjartansson: Romantic Songs of the Patriarchy
period. As these looping recitations unfurl, the absurdity of
will be on view at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum.
Kjartansson’s conceit gives way to poignant meditations on
It is the third project within Re/Projections: Video, Film,
strength, resiliency, and the range of expression possible
and Performance for the Rotunda, a series of four distinct
within limited scripts.
presentations that reimagine the Guggenheim’s rotunda
as a space for navigating tensions between collective and
In Romantic Songs of the Patriarchy, women and nonbinary
individual experience.
singer-guitarists stationed throughout the Guggenheim
play cherished songs of love and romance by some of the
Romantic Songs of the Patriarchy is organized by Nat
world’s great songwriters, including Bruce Springsteen, Cat
Trotman, Curator, Performance and Media, with Terra
Stevens, and Lil Wayne. However, visitors soon discover
Warren, Curatorial Assistant.
that these tracks harbor a dark side: mostly written by men
about women, they gently—and not so gently—reveal how
Performance view, Ragnar Kjartansson: Romantic Songs of the Patriarchy, popular culture is shaped by chauvinism, objectification,
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, July 2–5, 2021. Photo: David
Heald © Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, 2021 and gender violence.

52 WORLD of ART