Animations

The verb "to animate" is derived from the Latin anima, meaning "life," and the suffix -ate, meaning "to give." Thus the works in Animations endow unlikely objects with unexpected and uncanny life. During its century-plus history, animation has continually absorbed, hybridized, mutated and melded disciplines and techniques, undergoing both commercial exploitation and artistic exploration. The latter is documented here, focusing on the cross-continental exchange of artists from around the world who are dialoguing in the collective languages of animation. Twenty-eight artists are featured here, including Haluk Akak e, Francis Als, William Kentridge, Kristen Lucas, Pierre Huyghe, Liam Gillick and Liliana Porter, demonstrating the unique ways in which contemporary visual practitioners address animation as a medium and subject.