Joan Jonas: Reanimation

Joan Jonas is a pioneer of video and performance art. As a beginning she studied sculpture, but in the mid-1960s she started exploring new media, and became one of the most influential artists.

We followed her work on her latest installation and performance, “Reanimation” which she created for dOCUMENTA(13) in 2012. Inspired by the novel “Under the Glacier” by the Icelandic writer Halldór Laxness, she created a video installation piece, mixing footage of a trip to Norway, music, text, drawings, props, and reanimated videos from her past work. For the performance, she collaborated with jazz pianist Jason Moran who had worked with her on multiple projects over the past years. The performance includes music, video, and live-action.

The artist also offers insights into her inspirations and her early work including “Wind”, “Organic Honey”, “Volcano Saga” and “The Shape, The Scent, The Feel of Things”.

Biography and significance of Joan Jonas on The Art Story