Charles Atlas

American artist Charles Atlas (born 1949) is a leading figure in film and video art known for his pioneering work at the intersections of moving image, dance and performance. Alongside the artist’s first retrospective, About Time surveys 50 years of groundbreaking work through immersive multichannel video installations Atlas describes as “walk-through experiences.” These monumental installations reimagine his collaborations with artists such as Marina Abramovic, Michael Clark, Merce Cunningham and Yvonne Rainer in dynamic new spatial configurations. Taking in themes of performance and portraiture, gender and sexuality, and collaboration and friendship, About Time presents significant new scholarship on the artist’s work and legacy from some of today’s leading voices, foregrounding a diverse group of artists reflecting on Atlas’ influence.

For almost 50 years, New York–based artist Charles Atlas (born 1949) has been a leading figure in film and video art, creating seminal works documenting dance and performance art, involving choreographers such as Merce Cunningham and Michael Clark, as well as the fashion designer and performance artist Leigh Bowery. His network of collaborators and associates largely coincides with his circle of friends: many of his works from the 1980s and 1990s are portraits of fellow protagonists of the New York underground scene and the contemporary milieu, employing a sub- and pop-cultural idiom to scrutinize aspects of bio-power and the politics of bodies and identity. The publication features commissioned essays by art historians and curators, reflecting on Atlas’ strategies and the themes that have shaped his oeuvre over the years.