This Friday, a new episode of the acclaimed series Art in the 21st century premieres on PBS with an all-new roster of contemporary artists. Titled “Bodies of Knowledge,” the second episode of season 11 features artists Anicka Yi, Tauba Auerbach, the Guerrilla Girls, and Hank Willis Thomas. Working in the realms of politics, identity, technology and community, the artists navigate new modes of understanding the world, at a time when belief in truth and historical records are rapidly eroding. .
Presented not just as artists, but as “artist-investigators,” they probe the structures, both physical and metaphorical, that extend within and beyond the art world. Investigative artists reveal little-known truths about society, delving into topics such as the exclusion of women and artists of color from mainstream art institutions, and the hidden mathematics underlying centuries of visual structuring.
Viewers will have the opportunity to experience an intervention by Guerrilla Girls, staged in front of major New York museums, and witness the creative process behind Hank Willis Thomas’ new public sculpture, The embrace. Viewers can also observe Anicka Yi’s flying, AI-controlled “aerobic” machines at Tate’s Turbine Hall in London, as well as Tauba Auerbach’s two-person pump organ, the Auerglass.
“Bodies of Knowledge artists wonder how we know what we know,” said Tina Kukielski, Executive Director and Chief Curator of Art21. “They are seekers of truth, and their art expands our ability to understand the world and each other.”
Watch the trailer for “Bodies of Knowledge” below. The new episode will air on Friday, June 23.
This is an episode of “Art on Video”, a collaboration between Artnet News and Art21 that brings you clips from artists who are making the news. A new season of the flagship series of the Art21 association Art in the 21st century is now available on PBS. Watch all episodes of other series, like New York close up And Extended gameand learn about the organization’s educational programs at Art21.org.
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