Duty-Free Art 2016

Here is a scene arranged by Hito Steyerl, a contemporary filmmaker, visual artist, and writer. Looking at "Duty-Free Art" makes me feel like I'm on a film set, which, in a way, I guess I am. Chromatic green screens, and a grey scale, and images that seem to test clarity—all of these could be devices for filming. It reminds me of what it's like to prepare a canvas, or even a photograph; it feels like everything is a stand in. There is such a sense of expectation here and it is so quiet—I can almost hear a pin drop. I imagine Steyerl setting this up and thinking about what art can do, maybe thinking about war, movement, and maybe even the future, and where art can go in that future. This piece makes me think about how artists everywhere make their own versions, riffing off the past and one another to try new things and make their own mark, however imperfect. This is part of the artist's ongoing conversation across time and space.