William Kentridge: Studio Manager Anne McIlleron

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In celebration of Art21’s new feature film William Kentridge: Anything Is Possible — which premiered nationally on October 21, 2010 and will continue to air on PBS (check local listings) — the Exclusive series is devoting the month of October to telling stories about Kentridge’s numerous artistic collaborators whom we’ve had the distinct privilege of meeting these past few years. This is the fifth of six episodes.

Episode #126: Anne McIlleron, William Kentridge’s studio manager, discusses the artist’s working method and penchant for collaboration. Featuring behind-the-scenes moments from the artist’s studio in Johannesburg, South Africa; a performance of I am not me, the horse is not mine (2008) at the 16th Biennale of Sydney, Australia; and rehearsals for Kentridge’s production of The Nose (2010) at The Metropolitan Opera, New York.

Having witnessed first-hand one of the twentieth century’s most contentious struggles—the dissolution of apartheid—William Kentridge brings the ambiguity and subtlety of personal experience to public subjects most often framed in narrowly defined terms. Using film, drawing, sculpture, animation, and performance, he transmutes sobering political events into powerful poetic allegories. Aware of myriad ways in which we construct the world by looking, Kentridge often uses optical illusions to extend his drawings-in-time into three dimensions.

William Kentridge is featured in the Season 5 (2009) episode Compassion of the Art in the Twenty-First Century television series and the Art21 special, William Kentridge: Anything Is Possible (2010), both on PBS. Watch full episodes online for free via PBS Video or Hulu, as a paid download via iTunes (link opens application), or as part of a Netflix streaming subscription.

VIDEO | Producer: Wesley Miller & Nick Ravich. Interview: Susan Sollins. Camera: Philipe Charlut, Robert Elfstrom & Joel Shapiro. Sound: Ray Day, Patrick Mullins & Roger Phenix. Editor: Mary Ann Toman. Artwork Courtesy: William Kentridge. Special Thanks: Anne McIlleron, The Biennale of Sydney & The Metropolitan Opera, New York. © 2010 Art21, Inc.

This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.