Art21 Screening: Realms of the Real

Art21 Screening: Realms of the Real Jul 8, 2026 5PM-6PM Schermer Meeting Hall Join us for a special screening on July 8th at 5PM presented as part of Art21’s Screening Society, a program that brings communities together to experience and discuss contemporary art through film. This event is free and open to the public and is presented in collaboration with Art21. Following the screening, attendees are invited to stay for dinner at our Café for $30 per person. Registration is appreciated. By providing free access to documentary films about contemporary artists, Screening Society promotes conversation, inspires creative thinking, and broadens engagement with contemporary art. This screening features Realms of the Real, an Art21 film exploring the work of internationally acclaimed contemporary artists Ragnar Kjartansson, Candice Lin, Tomás Saraceno, and Njideka Akunyili Crosby. The internationally acclaimed artists in Realms of the Real conduct extensive historical research, examine the nuances of culture and identity, and explore the boundaries of art and science to create worlds of fantasy and fiction that expand our understanding of ourselves and our world. These four artists expand on the realities of shared history and experience to create fantastical and speculative worlds, offering new possibilities for culture, identity, and the future. Presented in partnership with Art21, a celebrated global leader in presenting thought-provoking and sophisticated content about contemporary art, this event offers an opportunity to learn directly from some of the most influential artists working today. Featured Artists Ragnar Kjartansson Ragnar Kjartansson (Born 1976; Reykjavík, Iceland) Through performance, music, video, drawing, painting, and sculpture, Kjartansson explores humanity’s fundamental concerns, from myth-making and national identity to love and beauty. Engaging with the history of music, television, and performance, the artist employs simple yet effective strategies, such as repetition and extended duration, to transform everyday experiences into profound works of art that resonate with the human condition. Learn More Candice Lin Candice Lin (Born 1979; Concord, Massachusetts) In her research-based practice, Lin works with a wide variety of materials driven by a deep interest in their histories and offers alternative understandings of society and ourselves. Equally engaging historical fact and speculation, the artist gives voice to overlooked perspectives, creating visceral and sensorial experiences through sculptures, videos, texts, paintings, and installations. Learn More Tomás Saraceno Tomás Saraceno (Born 1973; Tucumán, Argentina) proposes more just and eco-social ways of experiencing and inhabiting our environment through interactive artworks that bridge architecture, engineering, and sculpture. Uniquely inspired by the structures and behaviors of the more-than-human world, the artist often embraces a collaborative ethos, working with specialists across varied fields. In particular, Saraceno studies and replicates spiders’ behaviors to gain a deeper understanding of our collective existence and to imagine new ways of coexisting. Learn More Njideka Akunyili Crosby Njideka Akunyili Crosby (Born 1983; Enugu, Nigeria) uses painting, drawing, printmaking, and collage to reflect the complex construction of her own identity and those around her. Layering paintings with material from her ever-growing personal archive of Nigerian magazines, album covers, traditional Igbo patterns, and her own photographs, the artist creates a visual language that celebrates the evolving cultural, social, and individual dynamics of diaspora Learn More