Art In The Twenty-First Century: Change

Season six of ART IN THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY includes 13 profiles of artists from five continents gathered into four, one-hour thematic episodes: "Change" (May 11), "Boundaries" (May 18), "History" (May 25) and "Balance" (June 1).

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El Anatsui's "Peak Project," 1999. Tin, copper, and wire; Installation dimensions variable, each sheet apprxcimately 24 x 48 inches. Installation view, Artist's studio, Nsukka, Nigeria. Collection of the artist.

Courtesy of the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York.© El Anatsui. Photo by Martin Barlow

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Catherine Opie's "Justin Bond," 1993. From the series "Portraits." C-print, 20 x 16 inches. Edition of 8, 2 AP.

Courtesy of Regen Projects, Los Angeles. © Catherine Opie

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Ai Weiwei's "Sunflower Seeds," 2010. Porcelain,paint, 100 million sunflower seeds; dimensions variable. "The Unilever Series," Tate Modern, London.

Courtesy of Tate Modern. © Ai Weiwei

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El Anatsui. "River Crossing," 2007. Aluminum and copper wire; 103 x 141 inches.

Courtesy of the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York.© El Anatsui

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Catherine Opie's "Untitled #5 (Inauguration Portrait)," 2009. From the series "Inauguration." C-print; 16 x 24 inches. Edition of 5, 2 AP.

Courtesy of Regen Projects, Los Angeles © Catherine Opie

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Artist El Anatsui (right) as featured in the episode "Change," from the series ART IN THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY. The program reveals artists at work and speaking in their own words as they demonstrate the power of art to alter perception, challenge convention, and change how we see the world around us.

Courtesy of Art21, Inc. 2012

Spanning the globe from Nigeria to New York City, from Beijing to Brazil, the programs reveal the artists at work and speaking in their own words as they demonstrate the power of art to alter perception, challenge convention, and change how we see the world around us.

"Change" - How do artists respond to a world in flux? In what ways do artists act as agents of change, and what kinds of aesthetic choices do they make to express it?

This episode features artists Ai Weiwei, El Anatsui and Catherine Opie, who bear witness, through their work, to transformation—cultural, material, and aesthetic—and actively engage communities as collaborators and subjects.

About Art21:

Over the past decade, Art21 has established itself as the preeminent chronicler of contemporary art and artists through its Peabody Award-winning biennial television series, ART IN THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY.

Art21 is a nonprofit dedicated to engaging audiences with contemporary visual art, inspiring creative thinking, and educating a new generation about artists working today. Learn more about the organization and its initiatives at art21.org.

Art21 is on Facebook, and you can follow @art21 on Twitter.