Tomorrow, watch PBS tomorrow... Chris just reminded me about the upcoming PBS airing (or is it called cabling or dishing these days?) of Worst Possible Illusion the Anne-Marie Russell (and Paige West?) movie with and about the Brazilian artist, sculptor, photographer, illusionist... Vik Muniz.
Chris and I have seen the movie when it was shown one single time at the Walter Reade Theater more than a year ago. (No, Chris is not my boyfriend.) This was also the first time that I saw Vik Muniz speak (as far as I remember, he is the narrator of the movie.) I was most relieved to see that this artist who's work I have loved and admired since I first saw his solo exhibition at the ICP a while back, turned out to be a pretty normal and sane guy. I mean he could have been an insane, self centered machine, eaten by years and years of OCD... it was good to see that he appears to be able to keep a good distance to his work, he seems to have fun doing what he is doing, this is all good karma, this is exactly what art making should be like. Good, healing, brilliant. (Why do I have to think of Chuck Close just now... and his idea that painting can be like golf?)
I must have never written about Vik Muniz here, because it would be so much fun to write a real post, and to create some sort of layers of meaning, translations, twists and turns in language to describe the work. (Take a look at his work and you will see what I mean.)
But now there is no time for lengthy posts, the movie will air tomorrow, it is a really quite excellently made movie by Anne-Marie Russell, produced by the quite great and quite Mixed Greens...
You will like this movie, I promise. Vik Muniz is a truly amazing artist, who manages to step aside and smile at the process of creation of art itself.
The movie really helped me understand a lot about art and art making in general. If you would like to know a bit more about Vik Muniz and his work, before watching PBS tomorrow at 10pm or if you happen to not live in a place where there is PBS or a TV or... hmm ... visit Vik's new and truly improved site,
go to vikmuniz.net.
(Or you could also start out with this little flash site...
Can one tell how excited we all are here?...