ART 21 DOCUMENTS JACOLBY SATTERWHITE’S ARTISTIC ADVANCEMENTS

Images courtesy of Art21

Through their documentary-style digital films, NYC-based non-profit Art21 amplifies the voices of contemporary artists at turning points in their careers. With their latest release, The Incredulity of Jacolby Satterwhite, the organization revisits mixed-media visionary Jacolby Satterwhite as he prepares for and builds into exhibitions at Brooklyn‘s Pioneer Works and Philadelphia‘s The Fabric Workshop and Museum. It’s the first of five videos within Art21’s 2020 winter programming (as well as part of their New York Close Up series) and it hones in on Satterwhite’s fixations, processes and various means of expression.

From an artistic lexicon originating in Final Fantasy video games to an Instagram addiction and the influence of his mother’s drawings and a cappella recordings, Satterwhite analyzes the foundations of his work. Art21 delves into the process behind turning personal puzzle pieces into exhibitions, as well as his skepticism around mortality and the trauma he’s unearthed. Satterwhite grounds his work with ritual. He explores methods of production and performance to bring it all to life. Perhaps most profound of all, in the film, the artist addresses the way he’s embraced personal embarrassment through his public practice. All of this is conveyed in a filmic work under nine-minutes-long.

Art21 winter films will premiere bi-weekly on Wednesdays at noon EST through 1 April. The four remaining artists under the lens will be Hiwa K, Meriem Bennani, Krzysztof Wodiczko and Bryan Zanisnik.