This August 21c Cincinnati is excited to present two exclusive film screenings: Atis Rezistans: The Sculptors of Grand Rue, directed by Leah Gordon and an Art21 Exclusive featuring Kara Walker.

About Atis Rezistans: The Sculptors of Grand Rue: Directed by Leah Gordon, this award-winning documentary investigates art in Haiti. Grand Rue is the main avenue that runs through downtown Port au Prince, Haiti. At its southern end is a community that has an historical tradition of arts, crafts and religious practice. Contemporary Haitian artists Celeur, Eugène, Claude and Guyodo all grew up in this ghetto atmosphere of junkyard make-do and artistic endeavor. Their powerful sculptural collages of have transformed the detritus of a failing economy into bold, radical and warped sculptures. Their work references their shared African & Haitian cultural heritage, a dystopian sci-fi view of the future and the transformative act of assemblage. The monumental works they have created are liberally scattered around the slum community, transforming the clamorous area into an organic art installation. This multi-layered film is a portrait of a neighborhood both materially poor but culturally rich, and a meditation of the links between sex, death and creativity as expressed through the Vodou spirit Gede, that influences all their work. (2008)

2009 April:: Puerto Rico Ethnographic Film Festival (prize winner), San Juan
2009 May:: World Nomads Film Festival, Maysles Institute, Harlem NY
2009 June:: Mercredis, Musee de l’Homme, Paris
2012 Sept:: In Extremis, Fowler Museum, UCLA, USA (in exhibition)
2012:: Kafou: Haiti, Art & Vodou, Nottingham Contemporary, UK (in exhibition)
2012:: Taboo, Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney (in exhibition)

Art21 Exclusive: In this episode of Art21 Exclusive, Kara Walker reflects on her early success and offers advice to the next generation of artists. Walker received widespread attention after being included in a group exhibition at The Drawing Center in New York City in 1994, not long after graduating from the Rhode Island School of Design in Providence, Rhode Island. Walker remained in Providence until she “felt ready” to make the move to New York. However, “When I came to the City,” she says, “I felt like my newly forming ego and sense of self was just torn to shreds.” Now a professor in Columbia University’s MFA program, Walker sees the many challenges that young artists face today and encourages them to take responsibility for changing negative conditions in the art world. Walker is shown in New York City installing cut paper silhouettes and framed paintings at Sikkema Jenkins & Co. in 2013 and visiting the gallery’s booth at the 2014 Frieze Art Fair, where she is accompanied by her mother.

Credits: Producer: Ian Forster. Consulting Producer: Wesley Miller & Nick Ravich. Interviewer: Ian Forster. Camera: Ian Forster, Nick Ravich, Rafael Salazar & Ava Wiland. Sound: Ava Wiland. Editor: Morgan Riles. Artwork Courtesy: Kara Walker & Sikkema Jenkins & Co. Additional Photography Courtesy: Andrea Guermani & Kara Walker. Special Thanks: Scott Briscoe, Cindy Daignault & Frieze Art Fair. Theme Music: Peter Foley.

Art21 Exclusive is supported, in part, by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council; 21c Museum Hotel, and by individual contributors.

About Art21
Over the past decade, Art21 has established itself as the preeminent chronicler of contemporary art and artists through its Peabody Award-winning biennial television series,Art in the Twenty-First Century. The nonprofit organization has used the power of digital media to introduce millions of people of all ages to contemporary art and artists and has created a new paradigm for teaching and learning about the creative process. In addition to its PBS-broadcast series, Art21 produces short-format documentary series, viewable on multiple online platforms. The Exclusive short-format video series – with almost 200 episodes to date released biweekly on Art21.org – highlights featured artists from the Art21 roster using a blend of both new and previously unreleased footage.

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Learn more at:
> art21.org/films
> art21.org/films/exclusive