The Source & Art21

Doug Aitken is one of my favorite artists. He literally can do it all: video, installation, sculpture, photography, among others. Recently I discovered "The Source", a website project by Aitken that is devoted to short video interviews with contemporary artists about their work. I've really enjoyed watching them, especially because of the variety of artists he has chosen, all well known but somewhat under the radar. As much as I have loved hearing what the artists say, I have found the questions and thoughts that Aitken provides illuminating. His questions are precise and provide insight into how he interprets the art work of the interviewee and art work in general. All of the interviews should be watched.

I'm also super excited to see that PBS's Art21 will be coming back this fall with it's 7th season. The lineup seems pretty good, though not as good as years past. It's hard to pick favorites, but Bruce Nauman, John Baldessari, Matthew Barney, Walton Ford, Glenn Ligon, and Collier Schorr have been a few of the best segments. I think that the segments are most successful when the viewer gains some understanding of how that artist goes through their process of creating art. Hopefully this season will live up to the past. 

In this preview from the ART21 "Art in the Twenty-First Century" Season 7 episode, "Secrets," artist Trevor Paglen describes the inspiration that he has drawn from early NASA spacecraft. Shown at work on "Prototype for a Nonfunctional Satellite (Design 4; Build 4)" (2013) from a San Antonio, Texas hanger in 2013, the artist reflects upon the aesthetic and functional properties of spacecraft from the 1950s and 1960s.

Definitely check out both The Source and Art21 for a greater understanding of some amazing contemporary artists.