William Kentridge at the SFMOMA thru May

ASIFA-SF president Karl Cohen recommends…

I finally saw William Kentridge: Five Themes and it is an amazing, not-to-be-missed exhibit.  If animation as art interests you, his is the most exciting art exhibit that I’ve seen in several years. The show isn’t about storytelling, but about technique, presentation and personal content. There are several unique installations in the show including entire large rooms given to 8 and 9 projections of his animated work. One is a homage to Russian constructivist art in the 1920s and it is even more exciting than the Jewish Museum’s present exhibit of this form of art (and I loved that show). Another of the multi-screen displays was inspired by George Melies Trip to the Moon. A third is rear-projected onto a stage set with music by Mozart playing, and yet others include images of Ubu Roi.
 
There is one work presented that really needs to be seen, not described, but I’ll try: A video projector shows animated images distorted on a very large concave round mirror, which also contains a reflective cylinder in the center of that disc. In that mirror you see the image correctly—it is a fascinating optical experience.
 
William Kentridge: Five Themes will be on display thru the end of May and provides a comprehensive survey of the South African artist’s work. The exhibition explores five primary themes that have engaged him over the past three decades. It features more than 75 works in a range of media—including animated films, drawings, prints, theater models, sculptures, and books. For more information and museum times/location visit SFMOMA.org.