December’s installment of the Sunday Screening film series will feature two works: a feature film from the 21c collection, Un Ballo en Maschera by Yinka Shonibare, M.B.E, and an Art21 Exclusive short form documentary of David Altmejd’s work, titled David Altmejd: Heads.

Un Ballo en Maschera (A Masked Ball) takes its title from Giuseppe Verdi’s 1859 opera, which was inspired by the assassination of a Swedish King at a masked ball in 1792. With a circular narrative and strong compositional effects, British-Nigerian artist Shonibare explores the idea of film as a “moving tableau” or animated painting. Shonibare’s most technically complex project to date, this film combines themes of aristocracy, play, frivolity, and excess.

In the 2011 Exclusive short, David Altmejd discusses the head sculptures that he creates to accompany each new body of work. “Some sculptors make drawings, I make heads,” says Altmejd. By using the same materials found in his larger works, this process allows him to distill ideas into a simplified, more compact form.

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.

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