M i d - M a n h a t t a n L i b r a r y

Presents

Romance

A video screening and conversation presented in cooperation with

Art:21

ART IN THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY

SEASON Four

and

BOMB MAGAZINE

Judy Pfaff interview by Betsy Sussler

Artists: Pierre Huyghe, Judy Pfaff,

Lari Pittman, and Laurie Simmons

Monday, March 3^rd, 2008

6:30 p.m. on the 6^th floor

Mid-Manhattan Library

The New York Public Library

40th Street and 5th Avenue

New York, NY 10016

212-340-0871

How do contemporary artists respond to traditionally romantic ideals such as sentimentality, pathos, and the philosophy of art for art’s sake? This episode poses questions about the value of pleasure in art and features artists whose works are extended meditations on mortality, love, reality and make-believe. The Art:21 episode Romance was shot on location in New York, NY, Tivoli, NY; Kingston, NY; Los Angeles, CA; Berlin, Germany; London, England; and Paris, France. After the screening Betsy Sussler, Editor in Chief and Publisher of BOMB MAGAZINE will join Judy Pfaff for a conversation and Q&A session.

Pierre Huyghe uses various forms of expression to create new worlds and investigate the circulation of stories. His films, installations and public projects closely examine culture and boundaries, and use playfulness and humor as a way to address complex social topics. From an expedition in Antarctica to a small-town parade, he thrives on the production and documentation of new and scripted realities.

Judy Pfaff designed an exhibition around the sadness and loss she experienced following the death of several of her closest friends and family members.   Balancing intense planning with improvisational decision-making on site, she creates a sprawling sculptural installation that explores the worlds of black and white, and blends landscape and architecture into an organic whole.

Lari Pittman draws inspiration from a childhood that allowed him to be creative and imaginative, as well as from an acute awareness of our country’s attitude toward the gay community. His meticulously-layered paintings transform decoration, pattern and signage into elaborate scenes in which viewers get swept away by their dizzying complexity.

Laurie Simmons’s first feature film The Music of Regret provided her with an opportunity to literally bring her photography to life. Staging scenes with   puppets, ventriloquist dummies, and dancers costumed as everyday objects (a book, a clock, a cake), she creates a nostalgic world that explores the sentiments of love and romance among family and neighbors.

Elevators access the 6th floor after 6p.m.

All events are FREE and subject to last minute change or cancellation.