Final Weeks for “Black Box: Ragnar Kjartansson” at Hirshhorn

Hirshhorn Plaza

Photo caption: Still from Ragnar Kjartansson’s “S.S. Hangover,” 2013–14. © Ragnar Kjartansson
Photo caption: Still from Ragnar Kjartansson’s “S.S. Hangover,” 2013–14. © Ragnar Kjartansson

April 3, 2015

Currently on view in the Black Box space for moving-image art at the Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Ragnar Kjartansson’s video work, “S.S. Hangover” (2013–14) closes April 19. It is the first museum presentation of the Icelandic artist’s work in Washington, D.C.

Running a little more than four hours, the two-channel work presents part of a performance Kjartansson staged at the Venice Biennale in 2013. A brass band performs a “melancholic brass fanfare” in a small wooden boat that is piloted along an arcaded canal, picking up and dropping off the musicians as it makes its way between piers. The boat is a 1934 Icelandic fishing vessel, adapted to include Greek and Venetian references.

About the Hirshhorn
Now celebrating its 40th anniversary, the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden is the Smithsonian Institution’s museum of international modern and contemporary art. With nearly 12,000 paintings, sculptures, photographs, mixed-media installations, works on paper and new media works, its holdings encompass one of the leading collections of postwar American and European art. The Hirshhorn presents diverse exhibitions and offers an array of public programs that explore modern and contemporary art. Located at Independence Avenue and Seventh Street S.W., the museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (closed Dec. 25). Admission to the galleries and special programs is free. For more information about exhibitions and events, visit hirshhorn.si.edu. Follow the Hirshhorn on Facebook at facebook.com/hirshhorn, on Twitter at twitter.com/hirshhorn, on Tumblr at hirshhorn.tumblr.com and on Instagram at instagram.com/hirshhorn. Or sign up for the museum’s eBlasts at hirshhorn.si.edu/collection/social-media. To request accessibility services, contact Kristy Maruca at marucak@si.edu or (202) 633-2796, preferably two weeks in advance.

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