Art21: Art in the Twenty-First Century

A rare, in-depth look at the life and work of the internationally acclaimed artist.

In one of the most cosmopolitan and diverse cities in the world, four internationally celebrated visual artists - including the sculptor Anish Kapoor - imagine works as beautiful, complex, and historic as the city they call home. Also featuring the artists John Akomfrah, Phyllida Barlow and Christian Marclay.

Five renowned Beijing-based visual artists - including Xu Bing - create sculptures, paintings, installations and films that respond with urgency and ambition to their city’s relentless transformation, all the while contending with centuries of Chinese tradition. Also featuring the artists Guan Xiao, Liu Xiaodong, Song Dong and Yin Xiuzhen.

Working along the United States and Mexico border —long a site of political conflict and creative ferment— five acclaimed visual artists create ambitious public artworks, photographs, sculptures and performances during one of the most divisive moments in the history of the region. Featuring the artists Tanya Aguiñiga, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, Richard Misrach, and the Postcommodity collective.

Four acclaimed artists mix pop culture with art history, creating new icons and monuments out of the everyday. Working across North America these artists honor the neglected and unexpected with their paintings, sculptures and films and give viewers the rare chance to see themselves represented in the contemporary art world. Includes Michelle Obama portrait painter Amy Sherald.

A group of acclaimed contemporary artists use history, science and politics as the raw material to create their potent works. Drawing on the tools of historians and scientists, these artist-investigators take deep dives into difficult subjects like the on-going exclusion of women and artists of color from major art institutions. Includes the legendary female artist collective Guerrilla Girls.