Self Portrait as a Coffee Pot, dir. William Kentridge, USA 2022, 110 min., English
Known for his multidisciplinary approach, which spans animation to opera, Kentridge here uses a variety of tools – film, animation, performance, collage and his distinctive charcoal drawings – to reflect on the creative process, the value of art and South Africa’s turbulent sociopolitical history. The films also function as lively self portraits of the artist as he interrogates his own studio practice – often cleverly in dialogue with himself – and the strange alchemy by which fragments of inspiration are transformed into art.
The result is a dazzling example of formal experimentation, elegantly woven together by legendary editor Walter Murch. Both playful and probing, these are exhilarating windows into the mind and work of a great contemporary artist.
no. 236848.