Join us for an evening of art and cinema as we explore the world of celebrated South African artist William Kentridge.
We will be screening the feature documentary, Anything is Possible (55 mins), which offers an intimate look at Kentridge’s studio practice, creative process, and the political and philosophical ideas that inform his work. The film also goes behind the scenes as he develops his celebrated production of Shostakovich’s opera The Nose, revealing the connections between his work in drawing, animation, theatre, and opera.
The evening will also include a selection of short films from Kentridge’s celebrated Drawings for Projection series (ranging 5–8 minutes each). Many of the films follow the recurring fictional characters of Soho Eckstein, a wealthy industrialist, and Felix Teitlebaum, his more introspective counterpart, as their stories unfold against the social and political landscape of South Africa. Created through the repeated drawing, erasing, and reworking of charcoal images, these hand-drawn animations make the traces of their own creation visible, transforming drawing into a moving exploration of memory, time, history, and change.
From the 2010 art21, PBS dvd:
“William Kentridge: Anything Is Possible provides a rare, in-depth look at the life and work of the internationally acclaimed South African artist, WIlliam Kentridge. Working in a variety of media—including sculpture, drawing, animation, tapestry, film, theater, and opera—Kentridge tackles a broad range of subjects, from cataclysmic historical events to poignant personal moments.
“William Kentridge: Anything Is Possible features exclusive interviews with Kentridge discussing his family’s history and life under apartheid, and revealing the importance of imprvisation, inquire, and open-ended possibilities in his process. Follow Kentridge on an international journey that documents his work behind the scenes: from the intimacy of his Johannesburg studio, to galleries worldwide, to backstage at New York’s Metropolitan Opera as he develops, stages, and directs Shostakovich’s The Nose, based on Gogol’s story about a bureaucrat whose nose leaves him and assumes a higher social position. With its playful absurdity, and more serious observations on the “terrors of hierarchy,” The Nose provides an ideal vehicle for Kentridge’s vision. From initial research, thorugh numerous “satellite projects” related to The Nose, to the thrill of opera’s opening night, this film provides a unique portrait of on the most significant artists of our time.”
Seattle Art and Culture Week festivities continue city-wide, September 19 - 27, 2026.
Check out artandcultureweek.com for a full list of events.