What is Art in the Twenty-First Century?

Art in the Twenty-First Century is the longest running broadcast program bringing contemporary art directly to viewers like you. On October 17th, Art21's acclaimed broadcast series returns to PBS with a new episode, taking a closer look at artists who work "Between Worlds." 

Featuring the internationally renowned Sophie Calle, Lubaina Himid, Tuan Andrew Nguyen, and Dyani White Hawk, the first episode of Season 12 brings viewers into the studios, homes, and minds of four contemporary artists whose artworks address distinct cultures, histories, and places to envision a world we can all share. Through painting, film, sculpture, photography, and more, these artists honor and celebrate the many worlds they inhabit while building bridges between them.

What is Contemporary Art?

Art21 defines contemporary art as…

• The work of artists living in the twenty-first century
• Artwork that reflects the time we live in and the world we share
• Artwork that creates opportunities to rethink historical narratives, reimagine present possibilities, and celebrate the cultures and communities around us
• Artwork that helps us understand new concepts and cultures as our world becomes more connected, diverse, and technologically advanced

Through documentary films, Art21 brings contemporary art directly to audiences through the works and words of contemporary artists, to consider, respond to, and be inspired by.

A Closer Look "Between Worlds"

Through intimate portraits of contemporary artists, Art21 brings audiences around the world to view groundbreaking exhibitions, experience moments of creation, and go behind the scenes in artists' studios. In "Between Worlds," Art21 cameras travel from Paris, France to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam to Minneapolis, Minnesota to Preston, United Kingdom, inviting audiences to explore artworks that foster unity in a world that feels divided. 

Across the artistic practices of Sophie Calle, Lubaina Himid, Tuan Andrew Nguyen, and Dyani White Hawk, this new episode shows how contemporary artists work "Between Worlds."

Sophie Calle

One of the most influential artists of our time, Sophie Calle's work in photography, film, writing, and installation explores the personal worlds we construct for ourselves, working to discover more about friends, lovers, strangers, and herself through the process. 

In her practice, Calle moves fluidly between personas, procedures, and rituals; whether working as a chambermaid in Venice to spy on hotel guests, inviting strangers to be photographed as they sleep in her bed, or crowdsourcing responses from over 100 women to a break-up letter she received, Calle finds unique ways to enter the unique worlds of her subjects and collaborators. 

In this segment, Sophie Calle shares insight into her decades-long artistic practice. Here, you will see:

• Calle roaming the galleries of her exhibition at the Musée Picasso Paris, where she's replaced all of Pablo Picasso's artworks with her own.
• Office hours with Sophie Calle held at the Musée Picasso Paris during her exhibition, where she meets with hundreds of admirers and visitors each week
• An exhibition held in the ancient Cryptoportique in Arles, where Calle bids farewell to past artworks that have been damaged
• A career retrospective at the Walker Art Center, where Calle reflects on decades of groundbreaking work

Blurring the lines between life and art, Art21 cameras follow Calle as she explores themes of love, loss, death, and connection, always following her instincts and finding inspiration wherever she goes.

"There is no method," says Calle. "I'm used to using parts of my life, I don't wonder why I do it. I just do it."

Lubaina Himid

A pioneer of the British Black Arts Movement, Lubaina Himid's work in painting, sculpture, and curation gives a voice to the underrepresented and creates space for us all to participate in important political and cultural conversations. 

Across her artworks and curatorial projects, Himid has challenged dominant narratives of art and society through unique approaches; curating groundbreaking exhibitions of Black women artists, celebrating the stories of forgotten artisans and tradespeople, painting conversational scenes with open chairs to encourage viewers to participate, and integrating household objects into her artworks to connect more deeply with the everyday viewer.

Art21 cameras find Himid in a moment of long-deserved recognition for her decades of vital work. In this segment, you’ll watch:

• Himid, still hard at work in her studio, performing the daily labor of drawing and painting
• Visits to local flea markets in the seaside town of Preston, UK, as Himid sources new materials to paint on
• Scenes from the streets and markets of the United Kingdom, from which Himid draws inspiration
• Reflections on exhibitions Himid curated in the 1980s, like The Thin Black Line. 
• Exhibitions at the Contemporary Austin in Texas, the Holburne Museum in Bath, Greene-Naftali Gallery in New York City, and more.

Himid's work breaks down barriers between contemporary art and the public, envisioning a world where we can all participate in the conversation.

“At the heart of everything,” Himid says, “I am trying to bypass gatekeepers of history and gatekeepers of contemporary museums, and say, ‘let’s have a conversation in this space about your life, my life, our histories, and where we belong.”

Tuan Andrew Nguyen

Whether working in film, sculpture, or installation, artist Tuan Andrew Nguyen uses artmaking to explore the untold stories of migration, trauma, and healing related to colonization and imperialism. Primarily focused on the histories of Vietnam, Nguyen collaborates with communities there and across the diaspora, creating artworks that focus on personal, multigenerational stories and highlight the lasting impacts of war and displacement.

Travel with Nguyen from Vietnam to Louisiana to learn more about his multi-disciplinary artistic practice. In this segment, you'll witness:

• Nguyen in his Ho Chi Minh City studio, grinding metal, editing films, and creating new works
• A visit to the War Remnants Museum in Ho Chi Minh City, a museum that houses some of the weapons and military equipment that Nguyen uses as material in his work.
• Behind the scenes looks at a collaboration between a Vietnamese community in Louisiana and Nguyen, as they work on the production of a new film, Amongst the Disquiet (2024)
• Immersive access to Nguyen’s exhibitions at the New Museum in New York City and Zeitz MOCAA in Cape Town, South Africa.

Through his work, Nguyen creates opportunities for healing through collaborative storytelling, rehabilitated tools of war, and magical reimaginings of past, present, and future.

“People have a need to tell their stories,” says Nguyen. “These stories are oftentimes forgotten stories, unheard of stories, stories erased by the dominant narrative. So the challenge is just to be open to what people want to say.”

Dyani White Hawk

Through an artistic practice filled with reverence, care, and ingenuity, Dyani White Hawk's artwork weaves together the layered histories of North America into a single vision of our shared cultural heritage. 

Drawing from Lakota practices of beadwork and porcupine quillwork and the legacy of European American abstract painting, White Hawk creates paintings and sculptures that unite both of these histories into artworks that honor the labor, craftsmanship, and beauty in both traditions. 

White Hawk reflects on the importance of creating a world that we can all share. In this segment, you'll see:

• White Hawk threading glass beads and arranging monumental works in her Minneapolis studio, surrounded by friends and family who work alongside her.
• Behind-the-scenes access to the collection storage of the Brooklyn Museum, where the artist explores the museum's collection of Indigenous art
• A special visit to the Santa Fe Indian Art Market, where the artist reflects on the importance of supporting work from her community.
• Countless works by White Hawk, including a tile mosaic that hangs in the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City.

White Hawk's work introduces new audiences to the rich history of tradition in Lakota artistic practice, highlighting the influences of Indigenous art within European and American art history, and demonstrating how we can honor and celebrate both. 

“It’s not two worlds,” says the artist. “We may have multiple cultural influences, but we are all sharing one common world, and hopefully making efforts to learn how to collectively do that better.”

To learn more about artists working Between Worlds, tune in for the PBS premiere of "Between Worlds" on October 17th, 2025, at 9 PM ET. To continue learning about contemporary artists, visit Art21.org to access 80+ hours of freely accessible films, interviews, and educational resources making the works and words of contemporary artists accessible to everyone.

“Between Worlds” will air on October 17, 2025, on PBS at 9 PM ET, and you can also stream the series on pbs.org and the PBS app. A dual media player on Art21.org will accompany the premiere, offering descriptive audio for each artist segment to enhance accessibility for blind and low-vision audiences. As part of its broader commitment to digital inclusion, Art21 recently completed a WCAG 2.0 audit of its website and continues to improve its accessibility for all visitors.

And catch up on all past seasons of Art21 on pbs.org and the PBS app.