On October 8 and 10, 2025, Art21 hosted the second edition of Art21 at the Movies, a two-day event that brought together artists, filmmakers, and art lovers for an unforgettable celebration of art and film. This year’s theme was Between Worlds, inspired by Season 12 of Art in the Twenty-First Century.
Opening night took place on Wednesday at Metrograph with five film premieres. Artists Dyani White Hawk, Lubaina Himid, Tuan Andrew Nguyen, Josh Kline, and Delcy Morelos introduced their respective segments and shared their experiences working with Art21 and Meerkat Media Cooperative. Art21 is grateful to the artists for opening their studios and lives to our team. Their creative courage reminds us why we do this work.
Guests posed for pictures on the red carpet and enjoyed hors d’oeuvres and refreshments with themed cocktails. The sense of community was palpable!
On Friday, Art21 hosted a day-long program featuring a series of screenings and talks at the Museum of Modern Art.
Art21’s associate producer, Andrea Chung, and associate curator, Jurrell Lewis, screened excerpts from “Arthur Jafa: Sequencing the Notes” and “Hannah Levy’s Adaptive Structures,” providing a behind-the-scenes look at the filmmaking process for each. They were then joined by Andrew Nadkarni, director of “Trey Abdella’s Miserable Dream,” to discuss the film before concluding with its world premiere.
In a lively conversation moderated by Tina Kukielski, Art21’s Susan Sollins Executive Director and Chief Curator, directors Penny Lane (Listening to Kenny G) and recent Emmy Award winner Matt Wolf (Pee-wee as Himself) discussed the peaks, valleys, and lessons learned from documenting the story of one artist.
After decades of pioneering work in painting and sculpture alongside curating groundbreaking exhibitions for Black women artists, recent years have brought long-deserved recognition for Lubaina Himid. The celebrated artist spoke with Thelma Golden, Ford Foundation Director and Chief Curator of the Studio Museum in Harlem, which is scheduled to reopen next month.
“Between Worlds,” the premiere episode of Season 12 of Art in the Twenty-First Century, was screened for the first time to a full house. Many of the key players in the episode’s production, from assistant editors to directors of photography, were in attendance.
Art21 closed out the day of programming with a celebration of Sophie Calle. Following the artist’s segment in “Between Worlds,” audiences were treated to a rare theatrical screening of Double Blind/No Sex Last Night (1996), Calle’s autobiographical road trip film made in collaboration with Greg Shephard.
It is always a joy to experience Art21 films on the big screen, and even more so in the company of artists, filmmakers, and friends who believe in the power of art and storytelling. Thank you to everyone who made Art21 at the Movies a success.
