Directed: The Intersection of Book, Film and Visual Narrative

Directed: The Intersection of Book, Film and Visual Narrative
May 17 – August 4, 2013


As sequential narratives, artists’ books share much in common with film. Both are time-based and grounded in sequential visual communication. Historically, as well as in contemporary practice, artists blur and perforate the boundaries between these two disciplines to create innovative, engaging, and interactive works.

View a sampling of images from this exhibition. Refresh the page for another sampling, or visit MCBA on Flickr to view the full album.

Directed: The Intersection of Book, Film and Visual Narrative explores this juncture by presenting film/video artists that create narratives in a book-like fashion; artists that create works comprised of both physical objects and film/video productions; artists who in their creative oeuvre use both the book format as well as video/film to communicate signature themes; contemporary and historical graphic novelists who bridge the gap between utilitarian story boards and best-selling publications; and book artists who express content using traditional cinematic conventions such as montage, close-ups, fades, pans, slow motion, flashbacks, foreshadowing, props, split screens and other film-like methods for maintaining engagement and directing the eyes of viewers/readers.

Work by some 70 artists will be featured, representing a diverse cross-section of contemporary work from across disciplines and around the world, including:

John Akre
John Baldessari
Saul Bass
Scott Blake
Christian Boltanski
Neil Bousfield
Marcel Broodthaers
Charles Burns
Enrique Chagoya
Debbie Chodoff
Jenny Cole
Béatrice Coron
Katrien DeBlauwer
Helen Douglas
Mason Douglas Williams
Max Ernst
Gilbert & George
Jim Goldberg
Guillermo Gómez-Peña
Antonio Guerra
Karen Hanmer
Michael Jacobson
Edwin Jager
Angela Kassube
William Kentridge
Robin Kiteley
Tanja Lazetic
Ken Leslie
Louise Levergneux
Scott McCarney
Annette Messager
Frank Miller
Bruce Nauman
Heidi Neilson
John O. Smith
Edson Oda
Yoko Ono
Terry Peterson
Deborah Phillips Chodoff
Judith Poirier
Angela Reichers
Felicia Rice
Ed Ruscha
Colin Sackett
Andreas Schmidt
David Schulz
Andrea Shaker
Clarissa Sligh
Michael Snow
Paul Soulellis
Buzz Spector
Pierre St-Jacques
James Stewart, Geneva Film Co.
Telfer Stokes
José Antonio Suárez Londoño
Shaun Tan
Brandon Tauszik
Tanner Teale
Barbara Tetenbaum
Tricia Treacy
Stéphanie Vilayphiou
JT Waldman
Lyn Ward
Chris Ware
Andy Warhol
Yu-Wen Wu
Yuichi Yokoyama
Philip Zimmermann
Marilyn Zornado
Janet Zweig

Directed was curated by Jeff Rathermel with the help of the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis College of Art and Design and Carleton College. The exhibition is presented in conjunction with Book Art Biennial 2013 (July 27-28, 2013), a series of events, shows and workshops that explore the intersections of book, film and visual narrative.