Site-specific work by painter Jaqueline Cedar, a zine artwork showcase, and new work by Herron alumnus Samuel Levi Jones round out the schedule
INDIANAPOLIS – This summer, the Herron School of Art and Design will feature the first Indiana exhibition of “A Lot of Sorrow,” a video installation by Icelandic artist Ragnar Kjartansson and indie-rock band The National.
“A Lot of Sorrow,” one of Kjartansson’s most well-known and acclaimed works, is a six-hour, single-channel video of a performance recorded at MoMA PS1 in 2013. For this piece, Kjartansson, best known for his durational performance and video work, invited The National to play their hit song “Sorrow” live on stage repeatedly and continuously for six hours, nine minutes, and 35 seconds. As hours pass and fatigue sets in, the band members experiment and improvise, yielding unexpected outcomes while Kjartansson periodically steps on stage to offer food and drink.
Kjartansson explores the creative potential of repetition by stretching a single pop song into a six-hour concert. Filmed with multiple cameras, Kjartansson’s large-screen video projection becomes an immersive experience that ARTnews called “astonishingly riveting,” and The New YorkTimes critic Roberta Smith described as “unimaginably expansive.”
The video will start from the beginning each day, allowing interested visitors to watch the entire 6-hour performance during gallery hours.
“A Lot of Sorrow” debuted at Luhring Augustine Bushwick in New York City in 2014 with more recent screenings at The Art Institute of Chicago, the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, and the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C.
An opening reception will take place from 6:00 to 8:30 p.m. on Friday, July 7 in conjunction with the Indianapolis Downtown Artists & Dealer’s Association’s (IDADA) monthly First Friday art tour. The exhibition runs June 14 to September 2, 2017 in Herron’s Berkshire, Reese, and Paul Galleries. All Herron exhibitions are free and open to the public.
Also on view this summer in the Herron Galleries:
- "Mirror Mirror," featuring new paintings and a site-specific installation by New York-based artist Jaqueline Cedar (June 14 to September 2) in the Marsh Gallery;
- "Fold, Staple, Riot: The Art and Subculture of Zine Making" highlighting local and national self-publishing communities (June 14 to July 15) in the Basile Gallery;
- New work by Herron alumnus Samuel Levi Jones (B.F.A. Photography ’09) from July 26 to September 2 in the Basile Gallery.
Parking is available courtesy of The Great Frame Up Indianapolis in the visitor section of the Sports Complex Garage (west of Herron’s Eskenazi Hall), or on the upper floors of the Riverwalk Garage (south of the Sports Complex Garage) until 6 p.m. Park on any floor after 6 p.m. Bring your parking ticket to the Herron galleries for validation.
About Ragnar Kjartansson
Kjartansson (b. 1976) studied at the Iceland Academy of the Art and the Royal Swedish Academy, Stockholm, and has exhibited his work widely, including at the New Museum, New York; Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary, Vienna; and Palais de Tokyo, Paris. His first American solo museum exhibition, “Song,” was organized by the Carnegie Museum of Art in 2011, and traveled to the Museum of Contemporary Art in North Miami and the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston. He is the youngest artist to represent Iceland in the Venice Biennale and is the 2011 recipient of Performa’s Malcolm McLaren Award.
