Must-see DVD(s)

Fellow artist Barbara Meneley turned me on to the PBS series Art:21 last summer when I was in Regina for the Fifth Parallel show.

Each episode is about an hour long and profiles the art and studio practice of three to four contemporary artists, loosely linked by a theme.

I’ve found it to be a great mix of artists that are household names (at least in art households: Mike Kelly, Nancy Spero, Matthew Barney, Jenny Holzer) and artists whose work I didn’t know existed (Laylah Ali, Shahzia Sikander, Tim Hawkinson, Michael Ray Charles).

Sometimes the segment is simply the artist speaking about themselves – what motivates them, their process, their practice. Sometimes other people are involved: the artists’ children or spouse.

You can probably find these in the library, but it is definitely worth spending the money to own the DVD’s. Like Rivers and Tides (Andy Goldsworthy), Art:21 is something you will want to watch over and over again when your creative gumption gauge is on “E”.