Artist An-My Lê sees comfort and conflict in the stars

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New York, New York—October 13, 2026—Art21 announced the premiere of “An-My Lê: Photographing the Night Sky,” a new documentary film about the celebrated photographer. Trekking through the hills and valleys of Joshua Tree, California, Lê focuses on a new subject in a career spent documenting militarized landscapes: the night sky. 

Directed by Sue Ding, the film premieres Wednesday, October 14, 2026, at 12 pm ET on Art21.org and YouTube. 

Filmed during her residency at Andrea Zittel’s High Desert Test Sites, this short follows Lê as she mounts her first-ever outdoor installation, Way Station (2026). The exhibition is sited within the locations of the original photographs, connecting the photographed landscape with the real one and allowing the images to extend beyond their frames.  

Contemplating the relationship between photographic representation, natural landscape, and the individual, the artist states, “I’ve always been interested in finding what is fragile within something that is powerful, and monumental, and dominating.”

Director Sue Ding shared that the documentary’s production was inspired by Lê’s own spirit of experimentation. “She immediately welcomed us into her practice,” Ding said. “Lê is always just trying to ask the next question, push forward to the next step, exploring new ideas and new mediums, and I thought that was really admirable.”

 

About Extended Play
Art21’s Extended Play digital series provides unmediated, behind-the-scenes access to today’s leading artists. Through process-revealing footage and intimate interviews, these curatorially driven films chronicle a diverse scale of international projects, ranging from major commissions to exploratory sketches. Produced in close collaboration with artists, Extended Play uncovers provocative ideas, timely cultural influences, and biographical anecdotes that inspire the artists featured throughout the series.

Extended Play is made possible with support from David Howe and Namiko Kato, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council, the New York State Council on the Arts, with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature, and the Henry Nias Foundation.

 

About Art21
As the leading independent producer documenting the art of our time, Art21 was established with a mission to expand access to artists and their ideas, meet audiences where they are, and explore connections between artists and their communities. To date, Art21 has created 85+ hours of films documenting over 300 artists across six continents. For more information, visit Art21.org.

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For an advance screening or to learn more, email Art21 Associate Director of Communications, Hannah DeGarmo, at hannah@art21.org.