Big, Bold Five

William Kentridge is not an artist you would expect to see as part of a large-scale installation. It's not that he's not worthy of it--the South African has been hailed for decades for his politically themed work and for his ability to be self-referential without being a total navel-gazer. But Kentridge's multimedia works don't really lend themselves to easy curation--he dabbles in everything from film animation to penning operas. And so, God bless the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, 3200 Darnell St., for bravely taking on that which cannot be simply hung on a wall or shown from a projector. Their installation of Kentridge's works, entitled William Kentridge: Five Themes is an exploration of the vast catalog of the artist that links together 30 years' worth of work with disparate themes such as contemporary South African politics, colonialism in Ethiopia and Russian Modernism. Whoever curated this has truly earned their keep, coordinating a mish-mash of drawings, etchings, animated film, sculpture, collages and documentary film into a cogent and moving portrait of an artist and his many evolutions. Five Themes will take up residence at the Modern through September 27 and can be viewed Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m., and Sundays 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $10 for adults, $4 for students and seniors, and free for children younger than 12. Visit themodern.org.
July 12-Sept. 27, 2009