‘Art in the Twenty-First Century’ Visits Amy Sherald and Alex Da Corte
Daniel Lind-Ramos and Rose Simpson also feature in the first episode of the contemporary art show's 11th season.
Amy Sherald. Courtesy Art21 and PBS.
'I consider myself an American realist,' Amy Sherald says in the series opener of Art in the Twenty-First Century, which returns on 10pm ET on 7 April.
'Edward Hopper or Andrew Wyeth, they're telling these American stories, and I'm also telling American stories,' she says.
Sherald recounts waiting tables from age 25 to 37 while trying to figure out 'where I fit in and what my voice would be'.
'In my mind, I was like, well, I don't see paintings of Black people just being Black, living our lives, hanging out, just being ourselves.'
Regarding her use of grey-scale, she says she was always drawn to a black and white photo of her grandmother.
'Looking at her picture I saw a woman who was dignified, who represented herself in a way that influenced how I wanted to be represented in the world as well.'
Sherald is one of four artists featured in the first of the season's three episodes, entitled 'Everyday Icons'.
Tina Kukielski, Susan Sollins Executive Director and Chief Curator of production company Art21, said the episode hinges on a pivotal moment when Americans are asking 'what icons do we look to and invest meaning in?'
'Each of the four artists introduced in this hour suggests a new way of looking at the monumental in their own everyday way that is both personal and political,' she said.
Another featured artist is Alex Da Corte, who uses the vocabulary of theatre and film—including elaborate makeup and costumes—in his practice.
'I just want to have my mind be freer than it is, and that doesn't come easy to me, so to spend time with these characters in this devotional research-based way is to say, I don't know if I'll ever change but I can try to at least,' he says.
After studying animation in his early 20s, Da Corte wanted to pivot to making sculptures, but he wasn't sure how.
'All of the people making sculpture were using the wood shop or the metal shop and those places did not feel safe for a young gay guy,' he says.
'When I was feeling like I was at an impasse, I looked to my grandmother and started sewing. In particular, I made this large ketchup bottle.'
The latter two episodes of Season 11 will feature American artists Cannupa Hanska Luger, Linda Goode Bryant, Miranda July, Christine Sun Kim, Anicka Yi, Guerrilla Girls, Tauba Auerbach, and Hank Willis Thomas.
Previous seasons of Art in the Twenty-First Century visited artists abroad, but Kukielski said 'the pandemic offered us a rare opportunity to stay local and look inward.'
'Quickly coming to terms with the complications of travel in 2021 when we started this project, we simultaneously recognised that there was plenty to discuss at home in the United States between a great cultural reckoning, political division, and a broader conversation about information and misinformation,' she said.
'The broader question this season is asking is this: How can art help heal a culture and people in need of repair and inspiration?' Kukielski added.
Art in the Twenty-First Century can be viewed on the Art21 website, PBS, Amazon Prime Video, and YouTube. Episodes are also shown in classrooms.
Catering to an audience that includes everyone from kids to seasoned curators poses challenges.
'No one likes to be talked down to, especially those who feel excluded by the often opaque art world,' said Ian Forster, Art21 Senior Producer and Director of 'Everyday Icons'.
'We remove the hierarchy of "expert" and "public in need of enlightenment," and instead allow artists and viewers to be in direct conversation,' he explained.
'We feel this approach allows for complex ideas to be conveyed in a compelling and digestible way to people from all walks of life,' Forster said. —[O]
