The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden has announced “Lost in Place: Voyages in Video,” an online screening series of 11 videos by international contemporary artists. The featured artworks, spanning the past 20 years, include classic works and favorites from the Hirshhorn’s collection and delve into the complicated, unusual and uneasy relationships between people and the places they inhabit. Shown in the context of today—more than a year into a global pandemic—the works take on new relevance, not only as artworks that speak to the moment but also as artforms that reflect the primary mode of communication and connection today: video.
The first works to be streamed will consider the theme of “home.” Video works by artists including American artist Jacolby Satterwhite, Japanese artist Hiraki Sawa, Malaysian artist Chris Chong Chan Fui and artist duo Teresa Hubbard / Alexander Birchler examine diverse images of home and scenes of domestic dramas. In a hypnotic video titled “Birds in Paradise” (2019), recently approved for acquisition, Satterwhite uses digital animation to address the emotional experience of returning home. Sawa’s “Dwelling” (2003) evokes the daydreams and flights of imagination that may come from living by oneself. In contrast, Chong’s “Block B” (2009) serves as a portrait of collective living, demonstrating the abundant dramatic potential of everyday life. Hubbard / Birchler’s “House with Pool” (2004) draws attention to the unseen histories behind the spaces we inhabit.