Digital Editions
Newsletters
Subscribe
Digital Editions
Newsletters
Art market
Museums & heritage
Exhibitions
Books
Podcasts
Columns
Technology
Adventures with Van Gogh
Art market
Museums & heritage
Exhibitions
Books
Podcasts
Columns
Technology
Adventures with Van Gogh
Women Artists
archive

New York’s women on film

Chiara Clemente's "Our City Dreams" at Art Basel

The Art Newspaper
31 May 2008
Share

“I want to back away from traditional documentaries on artists, which are talking heads plus work.” Those were the words of director Chiara Clemente—whose film “Our City Dreams” opened the Art Basel Art Film programme in Basel on Sunday—to The New York Times last year. Her comments were made while she was still working on her film, a portrait of five generations of artists, all of them women, living and working in New York City. The completed project is not the radical kick in the pants that her remarks anticipated, but proved to be an engaging and life-affirming celebration of the artists’ lives that gives them the space to explain who they are, why they do what they do and why in particular they felt they had to do it in New York. Clemente followed the five—Swoon, Ghada Amer, Kiki Smith, Marina Abramovic (above) and Nancy Spero—for two years, documenting the progress of their careers alongside private moments with friends and families. “Our City Dreams” was a feel-good film to start the programme. And given some of the more demanding inclusions in the selection—particularly Isidore Isou’s rediscovered Letterist manifesto “Venom and Eternity” from 1951— a suitably positive introduction to the week. The producers are hoping to get it onto forthcoming film festival schedules and a DVD release is expected soon for all those who missed it. www.disanlucafilms.com/ourcitydreams

Women ArtistsArt fairsArt BaselArt historyFilms
Share
Subscribe to The Art Newspaper’s digital newsletter for your daily digest of essential news, views and analysis from the international art world delivered directly to your inbox.
Newsletter sign-up
Information
About
Contact
Cookie policy
Data protection
Privacy policy
Frequently Asked Questions
Subscription T&Cs
Terms and conditions
Advertise
Sister Papers
Sponsorship policy
Follow us
Instagram
Bluesky
LinkedIn
Facebook
TikTok
YouTube
© The Art Newspaper

Related content

Artist interviewarchive
31 May 2010

Interview with Shirin Neshat: “For Iranian artists, being silent is like taking the side of the demon”

As her debut movie, “Women Without Men”, screens in Basel, the artist explains that cinema is closer to her people

Iain Miller
Art Baselarchive
31 May 2010

Where are the women of Art Basel?

High priced male artists such as Warhol and Picasso dominate the stands

Lindsay Pollock
Art Baselarchive
31 May 2010

Where are the women at Art Basel?

High priced male artists such as Warhol and Picasso dominate the stands

Lindsay Pollock