Ragnar Kjartansson's first major Australian show opens at NGV Melbourne
Ragnar Kjartansson's first major Australian exhibition has opened at the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) in Melbourne. The show features a nine-screen installation with a cult following, described as 'the best artwork of the 21st century'. A central piece is a video from 2000 in which the artist stands with his mother, Guðrún Ásmundsdóttir, who repeatedly spits in his face. The work, made while Kjartansson was at art school in Reykjavík, captures the pair aging over time, as they have restaged the performance every five years. The latest instalment was filmed in 2025, when Ásmundsdóttir was 65. The exhibition includes multiple highlights from the Icelandic artist's career.
Key facts
- Ragnar Kjartansson's first major Australian show is at the NGV in Melbourne.
- The exhibition includes a nine-screen installation with a cult following.
- A video from 2000 shows Kjartansson with his mother Guðrún Ásmundsdóttir spitting in his face.
- The video was made while Kjartansson was at art school in Reykjavík.
- Kjartansson and his mother have restaged the piece every five years.
- The latest instalment was filmed in 2025.
- Ásmundsdóttir was 65 at the time of the original video.
- The work is described as 'the best artwork of the 21st century'.
Entities
Artists
- Ragnar Kjartansson
- Guðrún Ásmundsdóttir
Institutions
- National Gallery of Victoria (NGV)
Locations
- Melbourne
- Australia
- Reykjavík
- Iceland