Transgressing Culture

Filmmakers use film as a medium of expression, to document a culture in which they live or one that they imagine. Film is a form of visual expression, layers of imagery and sound. It is telling stories with pictures—moving pictures. In fact, screens are everywhere and on everything. I can watch a film on the two-inch screen of my Blackberry. In fact, I can film action on my Blackberry, sit down at my computer and with some accessible and affordable software create a movie. Technology is making it possible for film and video to transform the way we view story.

Contemporary visual artists use films as an element of their work. American pop artist Andy Warhol was one of the first artists to make films. Today, contemporary artists are using film to transgress culture. Consider video artists Mika Rottenberg (born in Argentina) and Omer Fast (born in Israel), both featured in the 2008 Whitney Biennial exhibition of American con... more