Synopsis:
While successful, the video and film artists featured in this collection work outside the boundaries of commercial filmmaking and display their work in galleries and museums rather than in standard...
While successful, the video and film artists featured in this collection work outside the boundaries of commercial filmmaking and display their work in galleries and museums rather than in standard movie theatres. VIDEO ARTISTS, VIDEO ART: FILM AT THE FRINGES OF EXPERIENCE contains the following four programs.
THE BODY AS A MATRIX: MATTHEW BARNEY'S CREMASTER CYCLE: This program examines Matthew Barney's epic Cremaster Cycle, a set of five films set in various locations that explore themes of sexuality, mythology, history, and athletics. In addition to possessing many sculptural elements, Barney's work in film also includes elaborate costumes, make-up, and a variety of interesting surfaces and objects created out of metal, plastic, and Vaseline. To help viewers make sense of the densely layered Cremaster Cycle, Nancy Spector (curator for the Guggenheim museum) and Barney himself offer comment. Together, they discuss the process of how each film was created and conceived, as well as how Barney later developed the same idea into a series of sculptural works.
GARY HILL: TRANSCENDING THE SENSES: Artist Gary Hill frequently uses himself as a subject of his work. By doing this, he is able to fully explore themes of performance, the senses, and the relationship between electronic media and the self. In this insightful program, Hill discusses the meaning behind many of his most substantial works- including "Conundrum," ""Why do Things Get in a Muddle," "Crux," "Primarily Speaking," and "Suspension of Disbelief" among others. In explaining his intentions with these artworks, Hill touches on complex issues such as the limits of language as a means of communication, the physical impact of text, and the experience of otherness.
EXPRESSING THE INEXPRESSIBLE: SHIRIN NESHAT: Multi-media artist Shirin Neshat created the works discussed here after spending over a decade away from her native Iran. For that reason, the pieces reflect the perspective of an outsider looking in somewhat objectively on the Muslim culture and women that raised her, but from which she has become separate. Born and schooled in Iran, Neshat moved to the United States after high school to study art and was subsequently exiled when the Islamic Revolution took hold of Iran in 1979. Returning 11 years later, Neshat dealt with the drastic changes that had taken place in her home since she'd last been there through several artworks created in various mediums. First off, she compiled a series of black and white photographs entitled "Women of Allah," which explore the concept of womanhood and stereotypes in Islamic culture. Next, she moved on to the cinematic image, creating several films that explored similar topics in different styles. In this program, Neshat discusses these films (which include "Shadow Under the Web," "Turbulent," "Soliloquy," and "Rapture,") as well as her acclaimed photography series.
WILLIAM KENTRIDGE: ART FROM THE ASHES: Through his work with stop-motion animation, drawing, and film, artist William Kentridge addresses pressing social issues in South African society. Starting out with intense, often somber charcoal-drawn images, Kentridge then sets about creating variations of these images by adjusting aspects of the scene and capturing it through stop-motion video. The resulting sequences are haunting and filled with shadows. This dark quality appropriately matches the mood of Kentridge's themes, which often the affects of colonialism and racial oppression in South Africa. In this program, Kentridge discusses several of his most successful artworks, including "History of the Main Complaint," "Stereoscope," "Johannesburg, 2nd Greatest City After Paris," "Felix in Exile," "Mine," and "Sobriety, Obesity & Growing Old."
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