Exhibitions at the Frankfurter Kunstverein

19. August, 2011

On the occasion of Iceland's appearance as Guest of Honour of the Frankfurt Book Fair, the contemporary art museum Frankfurter Kunstverein opened two large-scale exhibitions on August 18.

Endless Longing, Eternal Return

Ragnar Kjartansson's six-month-long performance installation at the 2009 Venice Biennale, with which he became the youngest artist ever to represent a country at the event, attracted much attention. The Frankfurter Kunstverein now hosts his first major solo exhibition in Germany, “Endless Longing, Eternal Return.” The title refers to a constant theme in Ragnar's work: the persistent repetition of a single event that tests the boundaries of the audience's – and the artist's – endurance. Ragnar has referred to himself as an incurable romantic, and in his work this manifests itself through the interplay of weltschmerz and the clichés and ironies of modern life. Over fifteen video works, image series and installations made by Ragnar over the past ten years will be exhibited, as well as a new sculpture unveiled during the exhibition.

Frontiers of Another Nature

The photo exhibition “Frontiers of Another Nature” is comprised of selected works by Icelandic photographers and multimedia artists – firmly established as well as up-and-coming. The exhibition explores how the photographic arts are an essential means for examining the undeniably complex relationship of Icelanders to their natural environment. The exhibited artists are Ingvar Högni Ragnarsson, Hrafnkell Sigurðsson, Bára Kristinsdóttir, Haraldur Jónsson, Katrín Elvarsdóttir, Pétur Thomsen, Icelandic Love Corporation (Sigrún Hrólfsdóttir, Jóní Jónsdóttir and Eirún Sigurðardóttir), Einar Falur Ingólfsson and Spessi.

The two exhibitions, which are a collaboration between Fotografie Forum Frankfurt, Frankfurter Kunstverein and Fabulous Iceland, are open from August 18 to October 16.