Artists’ Film International: Yuri Ancarani, Mattias Härenstam, Masooda Noora, Uudam Tran Nguyen, Amir Yatziv

8 July – 12 October 2014, Zilkha Auditorium

The Whitechapel Gallery presents a showcase of artists’ films from around the world for Artists’ Film International, a touring programme of film, video and animation. Selected by partner organisations in Afghanistan, Germany, Italy, Norway and Vietnam the works will be shown from 8 July 2014.

Yuri Ancarani’s film Il capo (2010), shows the dialogue between man and machine in the marble quarries of Carrara and is selected by GAMeC in Bergamo, Italy. Set against a spectacular backdrop of mountains, the work focuses on the head quarrier who choreographs huge excavation trucks using signs and gestures.

In Waltz of the Machine Equestrians – The Machine Equestrians (2012) by artist Uudam Tran Nguyen, brightly coloured raincoats and rubber strings connect 28 masked scooter riders in a choreographed ‘dance’ set to a rousing orchestral score. The work is selected by Hanoi/DOCLAB in Vietnam.

Amir Yatziv’s DETROIT (2009), chosen by Video-Forum (n.b.k) in Berlin, is a film observing town planners as they speculate on a map of a nameless city whilst discussing its layout and the impact on inhabitants.

Norwegian artist Mattias Härenstam’s Reconstruction (2013) re-enacts a series of events in an unresolved suicide case, capturing the scene as it unfolds through a single static aerial shot of a quiet suburban street. The work is selected by KINOKINO Centre for Art and Film in Norway.

Masooda Noora is an award-winning young artist from Afghanistan and her 2013 film chosen by the Centre for Contemporary Art Afghanistan in Kabul follows a group of Afghani women in a remote part of the city, showing their power as a collective force.

Notes for editors
– Artists’ Film International is a collaborative project presenting artists chosen by 15 partner organisations around the world. Works are presented over the course of a year in each venue.
– Artists’ Film International organisations are: the Cultural Centre of Belgrade, Belgrade; Video-Forum (n.b.k), Berlin; GAMeC, Bergamo; Fundacion PRÓA, Buenos Aires; Hanoi/DOCLAB, Hanoi; Para/Site Art Space, Hong Kong; Istanbul Modern, Istanbul; City Gallery, Kfar Saba; Centre for Contemporary Arts Afghanistan (CCAA), Kabul; Whitechapel Gallery; London; Ballroom Marfa, Marfa, Texas; National Centre for Contemporary Arts, Moscow; Project 88, Mumbai; KINOKINO Centre for Art and Film, Sandnes, Norway; Cinematheque de Tanger, Tangier and City Gallery Wellington, Wellington.
– Mattias Härenstam’s Reconstruction (2013) is supported by the Royal Norwegian Embassy in London.
– Artists’ Film International is curated for the Whitechapel Gallery by Omar Kholeif, Curator, Whitechapel Gallery and Candy Stobbs, Assistant Curator, Whitechapel Gallery.

Visitor Information
Opening times: Tuesday – Sunday, 11am – 6pm, Thursdays, 11am – 9pm.
Admission free. Whitechapel Gallery, 77 – 82 Whitechapel High Street, London E1 7QX. Nearest London Underground Station: Aldgate East, Liverpool Street, Tower Gateway DLR. T + 44 (0) 20 7522 7888 info@whitechapelgallery.org