OUR CITY of DREAMS

  

   

                                         Our City of Dreams 

               

                Our City of Dreams directed by Chiara Clemente follows five different women artists from different cultures that work in different mediums. These artists are shown from oldest to youngest with a quick look at their success stories and struggles and how they were drawn to New York City.

              Filmed interviews with each artist show how and why they settled in New York City. These artists were all driven by an instinctive pull to the metropolis. We as the viewer get to glimpse inside their processes and workspaces. Being interviewed first was Swoon.

            Miss Swoon is a printmaker and installation artist who was shown working and building a very intricate installation. Her desire for New York was to create and go to school. In the city, she thrived and was noticed. In the interview, she said it could only have happened in New York. One thing that the documentary points out is, to be successful you need to go where there is a viable art community. One reason Swoon was discovered in New York is that it has been shown as a springboard for new artists to be discovered.

            Gada Amer, and Egyptian artist, was the next to be interviewed. She stated her success was for her survival.  It was enjoyable to see her work as she spoke.  Amer embroiders beautiful images of women on fabric. The documentary focused more on the city than it does on the work of the artists.  In viewing Amer’s work, we cannot get an idea of the full spectrum of her pieces. The video would be stronger if it showed the pieces fully. In the interview, we find out about her work. She also describes the city and how dirty and gritty it is but, it’s one pinnacle for the art world where artists get noticed. It was important for her to settle in New York to be close to where art can be shown and viewed. 

            Moving on to the informal interview with KiKi Smith, a well-known artist. Smith has worked in New York for many years.  Seeing images of her works during the documentary and how she created them was instrumental to the film. Her idea of New York is very similar to Swoon’s, there was no other place to be. New York is where she found herself as an artist, so why leave where she gained success? She makes prints, drawings, and sculptures. In the documentary, she points out that there are not many images of middle-aged women drawn in the nude.  She has decided to correct this. Her workspace is bright, clean, and white. We get the idea that she has many pieces she adheres together in many different sizes. The struggle of becoming an artist and being a woman was very difficult for many years, but she overcame it. Now women artists are in a very different place and are shown very frequently in contemporary art. Art’s attitude towards women has changed, and New York is a very good place to find yourself as an artist.     

            Many women artists found themselves gravitating to New York, such as Marina Abramovic, a conceptual performance artist. Her work was astounding and for her to be a mature woman, and to see her still performing at a rigorous rate was enlightening. When she was interviewed the film shows how she trains her mind and body.  This artist also makes sure the fill-ins that are cast for parts for her performances also condition their minds and bodies. She was also attracted to the city even though she is a visual performer. Art as a whole is all-encompassing in all mediums in New York, or that is how it is portrayed in the video. 

            The last interview was with Nancy Spero. This artist is a groundbreaking feminist in the art scene. She was in the flophouses where artists squatted back in the sixties and seventies in New York City. She spoke about how art was produced in the art district and how women were received. She is a political art activist. All of these artists are unique and have a story to tell. Each of them also felt a creative pull to New York City and became successful there.  

            The documentary was very well done in an informal fashion. It could have been stronger if there were more images of the artist’s works. Overall, the documentary was a good look at the art scene in New York City, and what draws artists to the metropolis.