While my love of cult films, pop culture, and pure cheez borders on obsession, I also have a soft spot for films and art that get you pondering world history and social issues. William Kentridge’s work achieves just that. On one hand, it’s stunning: Earthy, gestural charcoal and ink drawings, often on large sheets of paper. You almost picture his hands drawing right in front of you. But it’s more than just a bunch of impressively detailed sketches. When you look closer, past the long charcoal strokes and torn paper puppets, you see that he’s tackling some important stuff here.
Kentridge’s drawings and accompanying films focus on racial tensions and apartheid in his native South Africa, and the results are powerful without being too heavy handed (Hi Titanic!). He uses a few colors: black and white with touches of blue and red because that’s all he needs. Through his sketches he creates stop motion films that will blow your mind. He chooses to show the painstaking process to the viewer through erasure strokes that create a ghosting affect when animated. Being that 3-D is taking over the world, the simplicity and rawness of his films is so refreshing. I mean I love things flying at my head at the movies as much as the next person but at this rate what’s next? Tyler Perry’s Madea Goes to Space in 3-D? I say, let’s get back to basics.
William Kentridge: Five Themes is on view at New York’s MOMA through May 17th. Check out the interactive site for more details and clips from his films.
