Focusing on the exhibition In the Aftermath of Trauma: Contemporary Video Installations, this lecture explores how the triangulation of the documentary, video art, and trauma evolves in each of the video installations presented in the exhibition. From Vandy Rattana’s focus on confronting trauma through eyewitness accounts, to Alfredo Jaar’s critical scrutiny of media images and their ability to direct our imagination and memory, to Yael Bartana’s employment of propaganda art and political activism, these artworks demonstrate a broad spectrum of sophisticated engagement with traumatic histories and their role in the present.

Image credit

Phil Collins, still from marxism today (prologue), 2010. HD video projection with 5.1 surround sound, 35 min. Courtesy of Shady Lane Productions and Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, New York.