Art in the Twenty-First Century: Humor

Goodyear Arts is hosting a free screening of Art in the Twenty-First Century: Humor on Friday, November 13, at 6 PM. The film runs an hour and focuses on the work of four contemporary artists: Ragnar Kjartansson, Candice Lin, Tomás Saraceno, and Njideka Akunyili Crosby. After the credits roll, the night continues with a discussion led by Desiree Thomas and MONO FEO.

These four artists all showed together in the exhibition Realms of the Real, and they share a few common threads: they each do deep historical research, look closely at the nuances of culture and identity, and push the boundaries between art and science to build worlds of fantasy and fiction. The film spends a good chunk of its time with Icelandic artist Ragnar Kjartansson and his collaborators, who take a playful approach to ambitious performance, video, and sculpture. His work is often both profound and absurd, seeking answers in timeless cultural forms.

The post-film discussion is led by two local figures. Desiree Thomas is a Charlotte-born oil painter and a co-director of Goodyear Arts. MONO FEO is an interdisciplinary artist working between Charlotte and Atlanta in guerrilla performance and site-specific installation. Between the two of them, they bring both a painterly and a performance-based perspective to the conversation.

The screening is part of the Indie on Wheels series, a program of free events supported by Culture Blocks—a community partnership of ASC, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library, and Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation, funded by Mecklenburg County. It's free to attend, though registration is required. The screening starts at 6 PM on Friday, November 13, at Goodyear Arts at Camp North End, Suite 200, 301 Camp Road, Charlotte, NC 28206.