|
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
identity &
contemporary art
How does contemporary art address the idea
of identity? How do artists working today reveal and question commonly
held assumptions about stereotypes, self-awareness, portaiture, and
what it means to be an artist? The Art:21 documentary “Identity” explores
these questions
through the work of the artists William Wegman, Bruce
Nauman, Kerry
James Marshall, Maya Lin, and Louise
Bourgeois.
special features
See a slideshow of artworks showcased in the “Identity” episode, watch
a video preview of the show, or explore a slideshow of artists from
multiple seasons of Art:21 discussing the theme of identity in their
work.
|
|
|
|
|
|
episode synopsis: “identity”
"Too often those who are quickest to assert their identity or loudest in
proclaiming it have fastened on a single, supposedly fixed aspect of their nature
or background to the detriment of the rest," writes Robert Storr in an essay
for the Art:21 Companion Book. "Whatever the reasons for them,
the work of the artists discussed here demonstrate the error and the futility
of such ostensibly self-protective but in actuality self-restrictive measures."
The show opens
with a whimsical collaboration between noted photographer and artist
William Wegman and actor, playwright,
and comedian Steve Martin. In this opening segment, Martin (or
is it just a mannequin
that looks like him?) questions the fundamental nature of identity
amidst playful diversions which include card tricks, the sound
of a lawnmower in the distance, ringing doorbells, and Wegman's
agile Weimaraner dogs. The zany opening was created by Wegman on
a sound stage and plays with varying degrees of reality and theatrical
illusion. At one point, Steve Martin is rendered motionless when
it's revealed that throughout the segment his hands have belonged
to someone else—a puppeteer. |
| VIDEO: |
Introduction by
William Wegman with Steve Martin |
|
|
|
|
|
| Bruce
Nauman transforms everyday activities, speech, and objects
into works that are both familiar and alien. "I needed a different
way to approach the idea of being an artist," says Nauman. "I
always thought that you can make something that appears to be functional,
but when you try to and use it, you can't figure out what its function
might be. And that's in the end what the function is, for you to
figure out what to do with it." Filmed at Nauman's ranch and
studio outside of Santa Fe, New Mexico, the segment features several
of Nauman's recent explorations into video, text, and self-portraiture—materials
and themes the artist has engaged for over thirty years. |
|
|
|
|
| From paintings and videos
to his comic strip featuring African sculptures, Kerry
James Marshall's work unites influences from Renaissance painting
and African-American traditions to question the authority of history
and "reclaim the image of blackness." "Either I'm
working with a set of conventions that have already been established," he
says, "or I'm working against a set of conventions that have
already been established." This segment is filmed in Chicago,
where the artist lives, teaches and works. We gain glimpses into
the domestic interiors of Marshall's immediate family—interiors
which find their way into the artist's paintings, prints, and most
recent sculptural and video installations. |
|
|
| VIDEO: |
Family Greeting Cards |
| VIDEO: |
"Portrait of the Artist..."
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Maya
Lin, who at twenty-one became one of America's most recognized
artists with her winning design for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial,
is filmed transforming an urban park in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
A work that is part art and part architecture, the park features
a skating rink which Lin has outfitted with sophisticated fiber
optic technology to produce an image of the starry night sky
onto the surface of the ice. "Everything I've done in life
is about polarities, about two sides balancing out," says
the artist. Carving layers of circles out of the pages of an
atlas in order to create topographic islands and canyons, both
Lin's studio and outdoor projects mark an identification
with the land. |
|
|
| VIDEO: |
Making Atlas Sculptures |
| VIDEO: |
Architecture & Memorials |
|
|
|
|
|
| The final segment in this
hour focuses on Louise
Bourgeois. Active since the early 1940s, Bourgeois has consistently
plumbed the her own biography for subject matter and inspiration.
Working with delicate stone sculptures in public spaces and plaster
casts of hands, Bourgeois explores memory, emotion, and strength
through works that reach viewers on a visceral level. "A work
of art doesn't have to be explained," she says. "If you
do not have any feeling about this, I cannot explain it to you.
If this doesn't touch you, I have failed." Bourgeois' work
challenges viewers to make connections between their own lives
and the lives staged in the artist's installations, drawings, and
public sculptures. |
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
