Soap Opera at the Marshall House
Ása Helga Hjörleifsdóttir, director and associate professor at the Faculty of Film Arts at LHÍ, directs the video work Soap Opera by Ragnar Kjartansson, which is now on display in i8 Grandi in the Marshall House.
The piece, which is about 60 hours long, is a remake of 81 episodes from the American soap opera Santa Barbara, which enjoyed enormous popularity in Russia, Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova and Belarus in the 1990s and became an influential cultural touchpoint in the years after the fall of the Soviet Union.
Ragnar and Ása Helga worked on the work together for several years and was Soap Opera recorded at the GES-2 Cultural House in central Moscow in 2021 -2022. a review of the work recently appeared in The Art Newspaper, where Ragnar and Ása Helga talked to Ann Binlot about the work.
Master talk
That one November 20, 2025 at 1:00 pm will Ragnar and Ása Helga discuss the work and answer questions in a master's talk organized by the Faculty of Film Arts in the lecture hall in Laugarnes.
Students are encouraged to see the work before, but the exhibition in i8 Grandi in the Marshall House lasts until November 22.
Admission is free and everyone is welcome!
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Ása Helga Hjörleifsdóttir, Associate Professor at the LHÍ Film Department, directs the video work Soap Opera by Ragnar Kjartansson, now on view at i8 Grandi in the Marshall House.
The video installation, approximately 60 hours in total, comprises 81 restored episodes of the American soap opera Santa Barbara, which rose to extraordinary popularity in Russia, Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova, and Belarus in the 1990s, becoming a cultural touchstone in the years following the collapse of the Soviet Union. Ragnar and Ása Helga spent years developing this work together and the Soap Opera was filmed on-site at the GES-2 House of Culture in central Moscow during 2021 -2022.
For further insight, see Ann Binlot's recent feature and interview with Ragnar and Ása Helga in The Art Newspaper.
Masterclass
On November 20, 2025 at 1:00 pm, Ragnar and Ása Helga will give a masterclass, hosted by the LHÍ Film Department.
Students are encouraged to visit the exhibition beforehand at i8 Grandi Marshall House.
Admission is free and the exhibition is on view daily during November 22.
All are welcome!
