Mediums are indelibly linked throughout Kjartansson’s practice: paintings are performative, films are painterly, and performances are sculptural. In capturing scenes of working from his studio and home, Kjartansson continues his interest in exploring the spectacular and the nature of painting. Throughout these works, life appears still, but they resonate with the characters who are just out of view.  In 2009, Kjartansson represented Iceland at the Venice Biennale. For the entirety of the Biennale, Kjartansson transformed a palazzo into his studio, spending the days painting his friend, the artist Páll Haukur Björnsson, while drinking beer and smoking – riffing on the idea of a “macho painter” and fully embodying the cliché of an artist. Considering stereotypes of beauty, vulnerability, masculinity, and joy, Kjartansson’s storytelling resulted in a group of 144 paintings (one made each day) documenting the performance.