October 21, 2014
Academy’s
Documentary Short Subject
Oscar Shortlist Includes
‘Kehinde Wiley: An Economy of Grace’
(Watch It Now)
By Tambay A. Obenson | Shadow and Act
It premiered on the evening of September 5 on PBS; if you missed it, the intimate documentary portrait of one of this generation’s most accomplished artists – Kehinde Wiley – is available to watch online.
You may be further encouraged to check it out now, given that the 52-minute film has been shortlisted by the Academy as one of 8 films that will be considered for the Documentary Short Subject Oscar.
Although the list of 8 will soon be squeezed down to 5 films that will make it to the official nominations stage. So some work still ahead for the film. But impressive to have made it to this stage, considering that there were initially 58 eligible entries.Nominations will be announced on January 15. There had been 58 eligible entries.
The shortlist of 8 films that made it to what is essentially the semi-final round are:
- “Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1”
- “Joanna”
- “Kehinde Wiley: An Economy of Grace”
- “The Lion’s Mouth Opens”
- “One Child”
- “Our Curse”
- “The Reaper” (“La Parka”)
- “White Earth”
Known for his vibrant, larger-than-life reinterpretations of classical portraits featuring young African American men, the New York-based visual artist has turned the practice of portraiture on its head, and in the process, has taken the art world by storm.
Wiley recently embarked on a new project – this time, a series of classical portraits of African American women, which is something he’s never done before. And, in the feature documentary, “Kehinde Wiley: An Economy of Grace,” the artist’s process – from concept to canvas – and coming to know the women whom he selects to paint, is all documented as the project unfolds, in a film produced by Show of Force.
Described as an exploration of what constitutes beauty in the 21st century, offering a tantalizing look at the intersection of art and fashion, watch “Kehinde Wiley: An Economy of Grace” below right now, if you missed its PBS broadcast: