Skip to main content
  • International Sites
    • International
    • Australia
    • Brazil
    • Canada
    • China
    • CHINA (ENGLISH)
    • France
    • Germany
    • Hong Kong
    • India
    • Japan
    • JAPAN (ENGLISH)
    • Korea
    • Korea (ENGLISH)
    • Mexico
    • Russia
    • Southeast Asia
    • United Kingdom
  • Magazines
    • Art+Auction

      Modern Painters

  • Blogs
  • Videos
  • Photos
  • Art Prices
  • Gallery Guide
  • Art Sites
  • Boutique
  • Blouin News
  • Log in

    Log in

    |Forgot your password?
    OR
    Sign up

    Not a member?

    Create an Account
Home
  • Visual Arts
    • Visual Arts Home
    • Contemporary Art
    • Old Masters/Renaissance
    • Impressionism & Modern Art
    • Ancient Arts & Antiques
    • Traditional Arts
    • Museums
    • Reviews
    • Columnists
    • Fairs
    • Features
  • Performing Arts
    • Performing Arts Home
    • Film
    • Music
    • Theater & Dance
    • Television
    • Events
    • Blogs
    • Photos
    • Videos
  • Architecture & Design
    • Architecture & Design Home
    • Design
    • Architecture
  • Artists
  • Art Prices
  • Market News
    • Market News Home
    • Fairs
    • Auctions
    • Collecting
    • Galleries
    • Art & Crime
    • ART PRICES
  • Lifestyle
    • Lifestyle Home
    • ART Parties/Scene
    • Fashion
    • Food & Wine
    • Jewelry & Watches
    • Autos & Boats
  • Fashion
  • Events
  • Travel
  • Newsletter Sign Up
  • Homepage RSS
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • foursquare
  • tumblr
 
International Edition
May 22, 2013 Last Updated: 3:39:PM EDT

Behind the New Wave of Artist Documentaries, Part I: Directors on Filming Marina Abramovic and Ai Weiwei

English

Behind the New Wave of Artist Documentaries, Part I: Directors on Filming Marina Abramovic and Ai Weiwei

  • Email
  • Print
  • Tweet
  • Pin It
Left: Photo by Marco Anelli © 2010; Right: IMDb
"Marina Abramovic: The Artist is Present" and "Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry"
by Julia Halperin
Published: April 5, 2012

Artists fascinate us. From Vasari’s Renaissance tell-all “The Lives of Artists” to last year’s Banksy documentary “Exit Through the Gift Shop,” the media steadily feeds our desire to know about the personal lives of the artists we love. This year, however, there seems to be more fodder than ever: Artist documentaries are having a moment, it would seem.

More documentary films devoted to the lives of artists are being released in the next four months than have received wide release in the previous four years. ARTINFO spoke with a number of directors behind this new crop of films to find out what make artists such appealing subjects today. By and large, they came up with two different answers about the surge of interest in the art world: the artist’s personality — because in this media-frenzied age, artists are becoming stars — and the artist’s process — because, in this media-frenzied age, artists still seem to hold out some honest investment in craft and creativity.

 

For the first installment of this two-part series, we speak with directors who belong to the first group: those enthralled by the personalities of the artists in their films.

MATTHEW AKERS ON MARINA ABRAMOVIC

“Marina Abramovic: The Artist is Present” follows the renowned performance artist for over a year as she prepares for her 2010 retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art. When filming began, neither the movie’s director Matthew Akers nor its star knew that the exhibition — which involved Abramovic sitting motionless in the museum’s atrium across from an empty chair for 716 hours — would become a phenomenon.

“Even Marina and Klaus [Beisenbach, the exhibition’s curator] assumed there would be large chunks of time when the chair would be empty,” said Akers. “And right from the beginning there was a line. So I think even from that moment there was a sense that it had the potential to become a sensation.”

Akers credits the same X-factor for both inspiring the film and transforming the MoMA retrospective into a media event: Abramovic’s personal magnetism. “I resisted doing a project with Marina at first,” he said, explaining that he had just finished following a traveling circus for a year and was hardly in the mood for another intensive shoot. Furthermore, trained as a painter, Akers was skeptical of performance art. But meeting Abramovic in person changed his mind. “She was just charming, open, and cool to hang out with,” he said. “I think she gave me keys to her apartment that first day.”

When an artist’s persona is so integral to her art, however, how does one distinguish between the “real” person and the performer? “I often wondered: Is she being real now?” Akers said. “When she’s sitting down and crying at the performance, is that the same thing as when she’s crying not in the performance? What I recognized later is that it’s rather irrelevant.” What does matter, Akers said, is that both the exhibition and the film “seek to remind people that art has the power to be transformative.” Especially today, when we are constantly plugged in and zoned out, he said, “it’s nice to be reminded about that.”

ALISON KLAYMAN ON AI WEIWEI

Like Akers, Alison Klayman captured her subject as he made the shift from prominent artist to international icon. Klayman began following the Chinese dissident while she was working as a journalist in China in 2008 — well before Ai Weiwei was detained for nine months by the Chinese government, a development that prompted front page headlines and international outcry. “Without me knowing it, the movie ended up capturing the most important moments of his life,” Klayman said. Her film, “Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry,” went on to win a Special Jury Prize at Sundance.

Klayman, like Akers, was attracted to her subject initially not because of his art, but because of his persona. “As a filmmaker and a documentarian, you need someone who can carry a film by the force of their personality,” Klayman said. “I felt people could definitely watch him [Ai] for a full 90 minutes.”

Ai is also used to being filmed: he constantly releases documentation of his life and political actions online, and his home is in view of government surveillance cameras. (He also recently launched — and then was forced to shut down — a live video feed of his studio.) Klayman said this aspect of Ai’s work was part of what made him an interesting subject. “So much about this story that fits in the zeitgeist: there's an interest in social media, creative forms of dissent, and of course, there is an interest in China,” she said.

But she’s not surprised by the wider trend of which her film is a part. “It’s not surprising that documentarians might be interest in artists as a subject — we’re reaching a period where documentary is easier than ever to make, and artists make a good subject: a single individual who is creative.”

To hear from the directors behind "Gerhard Richter Painting" and "Gregory Crewdson: Brief Encounters," tune in for part two of this series.

“Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry,” released by Sundance Selects, opens in New York on July 27 and will hit theaters nationally in August.

“Marina Abramovic: The Artist is Present” airs on HBO on July 2, preceded by a run at Film Forum in New York and Nuart Theater in Los Angeles. 

Go to top ↑
Contemporary Arts, Film, Behind the New Wave of Artist Documentaries
Share:
  • Tweet
  • Email to a Friend

Comments

127 Comments
+ Add Yours
Log in or register to post comments
Oldest first Newest first

by ttohottesvirg on September 05, 2012 at 2:09am

Miu Miu handbagMarc Jacobs handbagLoewe handbagJimmy Choo handbagHermes handbagÎïÒµ6Ôª£¬300ƽ·½£¬2Ôª.µç»°18616850982

  • reply

by ttohottesvirg on September 05, 2012 at 2:09am

buy paul smithcheap paul smithpaulsmith handbagspaulsmith shoespaul smith bagÎïÒµ6Ôª£¬300ƽ·½£¬2Ôª.µç»°18616850982

  • reply

by ttohottesvirg on September 05, 2012 at 2:09am

Wedding DressesBridesmaid DressesWedding gownsBridal DressCheap Wedding Dresses ÎïÒµ6Ôª£¬300ƽ·½£¬2Ôª.µç»°18616850982

  • reply

by ttohottesvirg on September 05, 2012 at 2:09am

Mens Vibram FiveFingers Bikila ShoesVibram FiveFingers Bikila ShoesFiveFingers Bikila Shoescheap Vibram FiveFingers ShoesMens Vibram FiveFingers Classic Shoes

  • reply

by ttohottesvirg on September 05, 2012 at 2:09am

Replica WacthesA. Lange & Sohne watchesReplica A. Lange & Sohne watchesfake A. Lange & Sohne watchescopy A. Lange & Sohne watchesÎïÒµ6Ôª£¬300ƽ·½£¬2Ôª.µç»°18616850982

  • reply

by ttohottesvirg on September 05, 2012 at 2:09am

Miu Miu handbagMarc Jacobs handbagLoewe handbagJimmy Choo handbagHermes handbagÎïÒµ6Ôª£¬300ƽ·½£¬2Ôª.µç»°18616850982

  • reply

by ttohottesvirg on September 05, 2012 at 2:09am

Sunglasses onlineSunglasses StoreBuy SunglassesSunglasses saleWholesale SunglassesÎïÒµ6Ôª£¬300ƽ·½£¬2Ôª.µç»°18616850982

  • reply

by ttohottesvirg on September 05, 2012 at 2:09am

seo servicessearch engine optimizationbeanstalkorganic seoguaranteed search engine positioningÎïÒµ6Ôª£¬300ƽ·½£¬2Ôª.µç»°18616850982

  • reply

by ttohottesvirg on September 05, 2012 at 2:09am

Jewelry Tiffany Jewelry Cheap Tiffany Jewelry Tiffany Jewellery Tiffany Jewelry Sale ÎïÒµ6Ôª£¬300ƽ·½£¬2Ôª.µç»°18616850982

  • reply

by ttohottesvirg on September 05, 2012 at 2:09am

kids bedding setsTwin bedding setsgirls bedding setsFashion BeddingBedding SetsÎïÒµ6Ôª£¬300ƽ·½£¬2Ôª.µç»°18616850982

  • reply

by ttohottesvirg on September 05, 2012 at 2:09am

buy paul smithcheap paul smithpaulsmith handbagspaulsmith shoespaul smith bagÎïÒµ6Ôª£¬300ƽ·½£¬2Ôª.µç»°18616850982

  • reply

by ttohottesvirg on September 05, 2012 at 1:09am

kids bedding setsTwin bedding setsgirls bedding setsFashion BeddingBedding SetsÎïÒµ6Ôª£¬300ƽ·½£¬2Ôª.µç»°18616850982

  • reply

by ttohottesvirg on September 05, 2012 at 1:09am

Rolex Replica WatchesCheap Cartier watches fake omega watchesreplica watchesReplica Audemars Piguet watchesÎïÒµ6Ôª£¬300ƽ·½£¬2Ôª.µç»°18616850982

  • reply

by ttohottesvirg on September 05, 2012 at 1:09am

nikenike shoescheap nike shoesbuy nike shoesdiscount nike shoesÎïÒµ6Ôª£¬300ƽ·½£¬2Ôª.µç»°18616850982

  • reply

by ttohottesvirg on September 05, 2012 at 1:09am

golf clubdiscount golf clubgolf equipmentcheap golfgolf on saleÎïÒµ6Ôª£¬300ƽ·½£¬2Ôª.µç»°18616850982

  • reply

by ttohottesvirg on September 05, 2012 at 1:09am

2012 New Dr Dre Studio For Christmas GiftsCheap Dr Dre StudioMonster Studio Diamond BeatsDr Dre Diamond SaleBeats by Dr Dre StudioÎïÒµ6Ôª£¬300ƽ·½£¬2Ôª.µç»°18616850982

  • reply

by ttohottesvirg on September 05, 2012 at 12:09am

Miu Miu handbagMarc Jacobs handbagLoewe handbagJimmy Choo handbagHermes handbagÎïÒµ6Ôª£¬300ƽ·½£¬2Ôª.µç»°18616850982

  • reply

by ttohottesvirg on September 04, 2012 at 2:09pm

2011 New Dr Dre Studio For Christmas GiftsCheap Dr Dre StudioMonster Studio Diamond BeatsDr Dre Diamond SaleDr Dre Studio For Christmas

  • reply

by ttohottesvirg on September 04, 2012 at 12:09am

A. Lange & Sohne watchesReplica A. Lange & Sohne watchesfake A. Lange & Sohne watchescopy A. Lange & Sohne watchescheap A. Lange & Sohne watches

  • reply

by ttohottesvirg on September 03, 2012 at 1:09pm

Replica A Lange & Sohne WatchesReplica Omega WatchesReplica Tag Heuer WatchesReplica Rolex WatchesReplica Watches

  • reply

by ttohottesvirg on September 02, 2012 at 11:09pm

driversgolf salegolf equipmentgolf clubsgolf stores

  • reply

by ttohottesvirg on September 02, 2012 at 9:09pm

golf clubgolf callawaygolf shopgolf for salebuy golf

  • reply

by ttohottesvirg on September 01, 2012 at 7:09pm

Mens Vibram FiveFingers Bikila ShoesVibram FiveFingers Bikila ShoesFiveFingers Bikila Shoescheap Vibram FiveFingers ShoesMens Vibram FiveFingers Classic Shoes

  • reply

by ttohottesvirg on September 01, 2012 at 1:09pm

Jewelry Tiffany Jewelry Cheap Tiffany Jewelry Tiffany Jewellery Tiffany Jewelry Sale

  • reply

by ttohottesvirg on September 01, 2012 at 9:09am

Rolex Replica WatchesCheap Cartier watches fake omega watchesreplica watchesReplica Audemars Piguet watches

  • reply

by ttohottesvirg on August 31, 2012 at 1:08am

Wedding DressesWedding GownsBride DressesBridesmaids DressesEvening Dresses

  • reply

by ttohottesvirg on August 30, 2012 at 4:08am

2011 New Dr Dre Studio For Christmas GiftsCheap Dr Dre StudioMonster Studio Diamond BeatsDr Dre Diamond SaleDr Dre Studio For Christmas

  • reply

by ttohottesvirg on August 29, 2012 at 10:08pm

A. Lange & Sohne watchesReplica A. Lange & Sohne watchesfake A. Lange & Sohne watchescopy A. Lange & Sohne watchescheap A. Lange & Sohne watches

  • reply

by ttohottesvirg on August 29, 2012 at 10:08am

replica watchesreplica watches salereplica Omega watches replica rolex watchesReplica Audemars Piguet watches

  • reply

by ttohottesvirg on August 28, 2012 at 10:08pm

Jewelry Tiffany Jewelry Cheap Tiffany Jewelry Tiffany Jewellery Tiffany Jewelry Sale

  • reply

by ttohottesvirg on August 28, 2012 at 6:08pm

Air Gear CosplayAir CostumeCosplay DressCosplay shopCosplay online

  • reply

by ttohottesvirg on August 27, 2012 at 7:08pm

LV handbag onlineprada handbagChanel HandbagHermes HandbagJUICY Handbag

  • reply

by ttohottesvirg on August 27, 2012 at 9:08am

casio watchesomega watcheswatches salebuy watchesarmani watches

  • reply

by ttohottesvirg on August 27, 2012 at 8:08am

Christian Louboutin SandalsChristian Louboutin Sandals SaleLouboutin SandalsCheap Christian Louboutin SandalsDiscount Louboutin Sandals

  • reply

by ttohottesvirg on August 27, 2012 at 7:08am

2011 New Dr Dre Studio For Christmas GiftsCheap Dr Dre StudioMonster Studio Diamond BeatsDr Dre Diamond SaleDr Dre Studio For Christmas

  • reply

by ttohottesvirg on August 26, 2012 at 11:08pm

A. Lange & Sohne watchesReplica A. Lange & Sohne watchesfake A. Lange & Sohne watchescopy A. Lange & Sohne watchescheap A. Lange & Sohne watches

  • reply

by ttohottesvirg on August 26, 2012 at 4:08am

Cheap wedding dressesWedding DressesVintage Wedding DressesWedding Dresses 2011Simple Wedding DressesBridesmaid DressesDiscount Flower Girl DressesDiscount Flower Girl DressesDiscount Flower Girl DressesWedding Dresses 2011

  • reply

by ttohottesvirg on August 25, 2012 at 5:08pm

Air Gear CosplayAir CostumeCosplay DressCosplay shopCosplay onlineUniform Cosplay Costumecheap Japanese School UniformCode Geass Cosplay Costumecheap Costumesbuy Costume

  • reply

by ttohottesvirg on August 24, 2012 at 10:08am

Cartomizer E-CigaretteElectronic CigaretteSmokeless Cigarettesdiscount Electronic CigaretteDisposable E-Cigaretteshop Electronic Cigarettewholesale Electronic CigaretteE-Cigarette KitsMini E-cigaretteE-smoking

  • reply

by ttohottesvirg on August 24, 2012 at 9:08am

spiked christian louboutinsChristian louboutin outletCheap Christian louboutin Discount Christian louboutin Christian louboutin salechristian louboutin bootschristian louboutin slingback priceschristian louboutin slingback priceschristian louboutin bridal shoeschristian louboutin sandals

  • reply

by ttohottesvirg on August 24, 2012 at 3:08am

cocktail dresses2012 cocktail dressescocktail dresscocktail gownshort cocktail dressesplus size bridal dresscheap lace wedding dressesWedding dressesBeach Wedding Dressescheap Princess Wedding gowns

  • reply

by ttohottesvirg on August 23, 2012 at 8:08am

Tiffany EarringsTiffany&CO EarringCheap Tiffany EarringsTiffany Earrings OutletWholesale Tiffany EarringsCheap Tiffany EarringTiffany Cuff linksTiffany &CO Key Ring Cheap Tiffany BanglesTiffany &CO Browse Key Rings

  • reply

by ttohottesvirg on August 23, 2012 at 6:08am

Bridesmaid DressesBridesmaid GownsDiscount Bridesmaid DressesCheap Bridesmaid DressesBridesmaid Dress SaleParty Dress StoreEvening Gown saleCelebrity Dresses SaleQuinceanera GownsCheap Celebrity Dresses

  • reply

by ttohottesvirg on August 23, 2012 at 2:08am

Tudor WatchesVacheron Constantin WatchesZenith WatchesBaume & Mercier WatchesA. Lange & Sohne watchesreplica Audemars Piguet Watchesdiscount Girard-Perregaux watchesdiscount Montblanc WatchesPatek Philippe watches saleReplica Ebel watches

  • reply

by ttohottesvirg on August 22, 2012 at 2:08am

watches onlinewatches companyReplica WacthesReplica Chopard WacthesReplica Rolex WacthesRado Ceramica watchesReplica Rado Anatom watchesBuy Replica Rado Anatom watchesIWC watchesHublot

  • reply

by ttohottesvirg on August 22, 2012 at 12:08am

UGG OutletUGG Boots OutletUGG Boots On Salecheap ugg bootsdiscount ugg bootsUGG Liberty 5509UGG BagsUGG Classic Tall Romantic FlowerUGG Gypsy SandalsUgg Bailey Button Triplet

  • reply

by ttohottesvirg on August 21, 2012 at 11:08am

A-line Wedding DressesA-line Bridal GownsA-line DressesLace A-line Wedding Dressescheap A-line Wedding DressesWedding DressesBall Gown Wedding DressesHoliday Gownsdiscount Wedding Dressescheap Wedding Wraps

  • reply

by ttohottesvirg on August 20, 2012 at 5:08pm

uggugg bootsugg boots outletugg outletuggsdiscount ugg slippersugg Chestnut UGGbuy ugg highkoo bootsugg gloves

  • reply

by ttohottesvirg on August 20, 2012 at 3:08pm

cheap wedding dressesprom dresseswedding gownswedding dressesdiscount wedding dressesdiscount Prom Dressesbuy Designer Wedding DressesQuinceanera Gownswedding dresses saleQuinceanera Dresses

  • reply

by ttohottesvirg on August 20, 2012 at 1:08pm

Oakley SunglassesCheap Oakley SunglassesOakley Sunglasses SaleDiscount Oakley SunglassesOakley Sunglasses storeCheap Roberto Cavalli SunglassesBuy Tom Sunglasses Cheap ED Hardy SunglassesCheap Carrera SunglassesPolice Sunglasses Online

  • reply

Pages

  • First
  • previous
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • next
  • Last

Most Popular

  • This Month
  • This Year
  • Why "Rediscovered Artists" Are the Art Market's New Darlings
  • Christie's Rakes In a Half-Billion Dollars, Setting a Record
  • Barbara Kruger Responds to Supreme Bitchiness
  • How Many Artists Have Traded Work With "Anthony"?
  • Donald Judd's Children Prepare His Art-Filled Studio
  • Sotheby's $230-Million Imp-Mod Sale [VIDEO]
  • Tracey Emin on Her New Show and Transcending Her YBA Days
  • What to Look Forward to at Frieze New York 2013
  • The 100 Most Iconic Artworks of the Last 5 Years
  • The 50 Most Exciting Art Collectors Under 50 (Part 1)
  • Back to School Guide: The 10 MFA Programs That Give You the Most Bang For Your Buck
  • Basquiat's Ex-Girlfriend Reveals Major Trove of Unseen Works
  • Facebook Censors Pompidou's Gerhard Richter Nude, Fueling Fight Over "Institutional Puritanism"

Popular on Facebook

Editorial

  • Visual Arts
  • Performing Arts
  • Architecture & Design
  • Artists
  • Art Prices
  • Market News
  • Lifestyle
  • Fashion
  • Events
  • Travel

Products

  • Magazines
  • Gallery Guide
  • Blouin Art Sales Index
  • Somogy
  • Art Sites
  • Art Jobs

Louise Blouin Media

  • About Us
  • Subscriptions
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • Louise Blouin Foundation
  • RSS
Copyright © 2013 All rights reserved. Use of the site constitutes agreement with our Privacy Policy and User Agreement.