Josiah McElheny painting in his Brooklyn, NY studio.
Production still from the series ART21 Exclusive. © ART21, Inc. 2015. Cinematography: Jarred Alterman.
“I’m trying to understand this relationship of abstraction and the body.” — Josiah McElheny
Today’s ART21 Exclusive features Josiah McElheny exploring the relationship between abstraction and the body as he makes Projection Painting 1 (2015). “We’re projecting lost footage or abandoned footage by the great filmmaker Maya Deren,” says McElheny, who further abstracts Deren’s images by filming the footage “from the worst seats.” McElheny’s distorted footage is then projected once more onto a framed fractured landscape in another round of abstraction to create the final painting. Working with cinematographer Martina Radwan at a photography studio in Manhattan, McElheny found that utilizing unedited footage “felt more malleable” than when he attempted to work with completed narrative films. The finished “Projection Painting” was shown in a continuous loop during McElheny’s solo show last fall at Andrea Rosen Gallery.
CREDITS: Producer: Ian Forster. Consulting Producer: Wesley Miller & Nick Ravich. Interview: Jarred Alterman & Ian Forster. Editor: Jarred Alterman. Camera: Jarred Alterman. Sound: Ian Forster. Music: Pinch Music. Artwork Courtesy: Josiah McElheny & Andrea Rosen Gallery. Special Thanks: Picture Ray Studio, Martina Radwan & Mark Shortliffe.
ART21 Exclusive is supported, in part, by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council; 21c Museum Hotel, and by individual contributors.
