Serpentine Cinema presented the films of Cauleen Smith, followed by a conversation between herself and the artist Sondra Perry.
Serpentine Cinema presents a selection of Cauleen Smith’s films, whose exploration of landscapes both real and imagined propels her experimental cinematic narratives. Smith is an interdisciplinary artist whose work reflects upon the everyday possibilities of the imagination. Operating in multiple materials and arenas, Smith roots her work firmly within the discourse of mid-20th century experimental film. Drawing from structuralism, third world cinema, and science fiction, she makes things that deploy the tactics of these disciplines while offering a phenomenological experience for spectators and participants. Following the screening, Sondra Perry and Smith were in conversation.
Film programme:
Lessons in Semaphore (2015) 4:17
Chronicles of a Lying Spirit by Kelly Gabron (1993) 06:31
Crow Requiem (2015) 11:09
Triangle Trade (2017) 14:31
Changing Same (2001) 9:25
Song for Earth and Folk (2013) 10:40
Sine at the Canyon Sine at the Sea by Kelly Gabron (2016) 7:07
Solar Flare Arkestral Marching Band at Chinatown Square (2010-12) 10:56
Sondra Perry constructs multifaceted narratives that explore the imagining, or imaging, of blackness throughout history. Often taking her own life as a point of departure, she makes works that revolve specifically around black American experiences and the ways in which technology and identities are entangled.
Cauleen Smith’s films, objects, and installations have been featured in group exhibitions at the Studio Museum of Harlem; Houston Contemporary Art Museum; Yerba Buena Center for Art; the New Museum, New York; D21 Leipzig and Decad, Berlin. She has had solo shows for her films and installations at The Kitchen, MCA Chicago, Threewalls, Chicago. She shows her drawings and 2D work with Corbett vs. Dempsey. Smith is the recipient of several grants and awards including the Rockefeller Media Arts Award, Creative Capital Film /Video, Chicago 3Arts Grant, and the Foundation for Contemporary Arts, Chicago Expo Artadia Award, and Rauschenberg Residency. Smith was born in Riverside, California and grew up in Sacramento. She earned a BA in Creative Arts from San Francisco State University and an MFA from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Theater Film and Television. Smith is based in the great city of Chicago and serves as faculty for the Vermont College of Fine Arts low-residency MFA program.
