On Tuesday, June 20, 2023, Art21 hosted the pink carpet premiere of “Bodies of Knowledge,” the second episode in the Peabody Award-winning television series Art in the Twenty-First Century. The event took place at Manhattan’s Paley Center for Media and was an epic evening attended by close to 200 friends and supporters of Art21. Drinks flowed, hors d’oeuvres were served, guests had fun taking photos and enjoyed Instagram Live interviews with Art21 staff. 

Art21 was joined by artists including Rose Salane, Deborah Willis Thomas, Adam Milner, and Joiri Minaya; filmmakers including Malika Zouhali-Worrall and Danielle Varga; gallerists including James Cohan, Jack Shainman, Jasmin Tsou, Alexis Johnson, and Hannah Traore; Trustees including Migs Wright, Mark Dorfman, Erica Samuels, Sarah Booth, and Hedy Fischer; and friends representing Paula Cooper Gallery, Gladstone Gallery, Burnaway, the National Endowment for the Arts, NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, and Bloomberg Philanthropies.

“Bodies of Knowledge” chronicles the work of iconic contemporary artists, including the Guerrilla Girls, Hank Willis Thomas, Anicka Yi, and Tauba Auerbach. Three of the featured artists delivered heartfelt remarks to a rapt audience. As a founding member of Guerrilla Girls, “Frida Kahlo” shared her passion for continuing the work required to inspire future members of the collective; Hank Willis Thomas took the stage with his daughter, paid homage to his family, and shared the personal impact of several Art21 films, saluting Paul Pfeifer who was in the audience; and Anicka Yi melted hearts when acknowledging the impact of the work of the Guerrilla Girls on her career. 

“Bodies of Knowledge” premiered online and on PBS on Friday, June 23, 2023. 

Photography by Timothy O’Connell. Videography by Hannah DeGarmo.