William Kentridge, et al.

I caught a documentary on PBS recently that captured my art attention.  It concerned William Kentridge, a South African artist best known for animating his typically absurd and rather dark drawings.  I found an article about the film and attach a link here.

Kentridge is obviously brilliant, but what I found most fascinating about the film was the way Kentridge worked with other artists, such as musicians and singers.  The collaborative effort was both intriguing and rather difficult for me to watch because Kentridge remained in complete control.  The other artists on screen were not really experimenting as much as they were following his directions.  

I have spoken with a handful of artists who work collaboratively by choice; they prefer the process of working with others to produce a shared vision.  Two artists we know well have worked together recently and you can catch their efforts in a new show opening Thursday, Bookends or Lap Joint at UK's Tuska Center for Contemporary Art .  Closer to home, you can catch Professors Kincer and Graham's collaborative curatorial project, ImPrint, in the Anne Wright Wilson Fine Arts Gallery.  I was lucky enough to observe their joint decision making activities, see them execute their visions, and speak to them about their ideas.  I appreciate the learning experiences they provide.