Art21 - Art in the 21st Century Season 7 Episode 4 Fiction

The season 7 episode 4 of Art21 - Art in the 21st Century is titled "Fiction". This episode delves into the world of contemporary artists who use their imaginations to create new worlds, characters, and narratives. The artists featured in this episode include Liz Magic Laser, Trevor Paglen, and Pedro Reyes.

Liz Magic Laser is an artist who uses performance, video, and sound to create political and conceptual pieces. In "Fiction", she talks about her work "The Digital Face" which explores the nature of identity in the digital age. The piece uses facial recognition software to generate a composite image of the artist's face based on the faces of people who have searched for her online. Through this work, Laser questions the idea of authenticity and the impact of technology on our sense of self.

Trevor Paglen is an artist who specializes in capturing images and data that are usually hidden from the public eye. In "Fiction", he talks about his work "The Octopus" which is a series of photographs of underwater cables and data centers used by the National Security Agency. His work highlights how our personal data is constantly being monitored and collected, and how technology enables this surveillance.

Pedro Reyes is a Mexican artist who uses humor and play to explore social and political issues. In "Fiction", he talks about his work "Baby Marx" which is a puppet show that reimagines Karl Marx as a baby. The show uses humor to introduce complex political theories to children, highlighting the potential for education and social change through art.

The episode also features a short profile of artist Stan Douglas, whose work often deals with history and narrative. Douglas discusses his piece "Hors-champs" which is a video installation that reimagines a scene from the Godard film "Le Mépris". Through his use of multiple screens and perspectives, Douglas challenges our conventional ideas of storytelling and cinematic narrative.

Overall, "Fiction" is an intriguing and thought-provoking episode that explores the boundaries between reality and imagination, the impact of technology on our sense of self, and the potential for art to instigate social change. The artists featured in this episode push the limits of what is possible with their creativity, challenging us to rethink our assumptions about the world around us.