17/10/2010
Radical Closure
e-flux, New York
Presentation of the DVD box set curated by Lebanese video artist Akram Zaatari
Video Data Bank is pleased to release the highly anticipated DVD box set, Radical Closure. Curated by Lebanese video artist Akram Zaatari, it features works produced in response to situations of physical or ideological closure resulting from war and territorial conflicts. The program looks at what is known as the Middle East, and how the moving image has functioned throughout its history, charged with division, political tension, and mobilization. This 5-DVD box set has an accompanying monograph with curator's essay, alongside important work by 24 artists including Guy Ben-Ner, Harun Farocki, Mona Hatoum, Walid Raad, and Elia Suleiman. Introduced by VDB Director Abina Manning, the program to e-flux concentrates on works portraying unsettling situations, narrated with both considerable emotional investment and critical distance. Running time: 68 minutes, admission is free.