Merrier Bennani's Exploded Visions, A film by Art 21

Meriem Bennani's Exploded Visions, a film by Art21 Summer of Shorts: Ten New Films in Ten Weeks Premiering on Art21.org every Friday through August 4 Art21 premieres its fourth film from its Summer of Shorts, a dynamic ten-week roll-out of exclusive new short films documenting the life and work of the most compelling contemporary artists working today: Meriem Bennani, Jordan Casteel, Stan Douglas, Theaster Gates, Liz Larner, Aki Sasamoto, Avery Singer, Jeff Wall, Chris Ware, and Caroline Woolard. Summer of Shorts continues today with a new film from Art21's New York Close Up series featuring artist Meriem Bennani. WATCH ART21'S LATEST FILM: Meriem Bennani's Exploded Visions Through August 4, a new film will premiere at noon every Friday on Art21.org as well as on the Art21 YouTube channel. Can art be funny and serious at the same time? Using social media-inspired effects, video artist Meriem Bennani subverts audience expectations of both pop culture and her own Muslim community with unexpected playfulness and pathos. “I feel like I have a hard time connecting to anything that doesn’t have humor,” says the artist, “because for me humor is like survival.” In her multichannel video installation FLY, Bennani inserts a mischievous Rihanna-singing fly over footage of daily life in her native Morocco. Projected over sculpted surfaces that mimic the compound vision of flies themselves, the effect is startlingly disorienting in its comic mash up of specific cultural details and cartoonish digital tropes. Often exploring the private lives of Muslim women, Bennani strategically navigates the line between championing and exploiting the women who appear in her films, many of whom are family members, like in her documentary-style project Ghariba/Stranger. “On one side, I almost feel emotionally like a monster who traps family members into this digital world. And then the other extreme is like fully loving and celebrating family,” says the artist. Summer of Shorts Premiere Schedule Friday, June 2 - Available Now! Avery Singer's Next Painting (New York Close Up) Friday, June 9 - Available Now! Theaster Gates (Extended Play) Friday, June 16 - Available Now!  Jordan Casteel (New York Close Up) Friday, June 23 - Available Now! Meriem Bennani (New York Close Up) Friday, June 30 Jeff Wall (Extended Play) Friday, July 7 Stan Douglas (Extended Play) Friday, July 14 Aki Sasamoto (New York Close Up) Friday, July 21 Caroline Woolard (New York Close Up) Friday, July 28 Liz Larner (Extended Play) Friday, August 4 Chris Ware (Extended Play) Spread across two original Art21 web series, New York Close Up and Extended Play, viewers will have intimate access to artists’ studios, and witness the creative process of artists firsthand. From the Extended Play Series The Extended Play digital series is a refreshed take on Art21's longest-running digital series, formerly called Exclusive. Five new films will premiere during Summer of Shorts, featuring artists: Stan Douglas, Theaster Gates, Liz Larner, Jeff Wall, and Chris Ware. From the New York Close Up Series The New York Close Up digital series introduces five additional artists to the series roster through new films: Meriem Bennani, Jordan Casteel, Aki Sasamoto, Avery Singer, and Raúl de Nieves (whose first film premiered in April). A new film featuring Caroline Woolard will also premiere during Summer of Shorts. Digital Extras Summer of Shorts programming will extend across Art21 digital platforms, including Instagram takeovers by New York Close Up artist Tommy Hartung, as well as thematic and guest-contributed playlists featuring films from the ever-expanding Art21 Library. Keep up with Summer of Shorts by joining Art21 on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Credits New York Close Up is supported, in part, by The Lambent Foundation; public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council; VIA Art Fund; Lévy Gorvy; and by individual contributors.