Yugen is a moving image artwork by Martha Fiennes, film director, writer and artist. The unique combined media utilizes a pioneering form of generative computer technologies to create a boundless series of images. The work, which was commissioned by Tendercapital and unveiled in September at the Palazzo Grassi in Venice, was previewed on October 5 as a part of Frieze Week at the Serpentine Galleries in London. The event was sponsored by Gucci and featured in introduction by the curator, Hans-Ulrich Obrist.
Salma Hayek Pinault’s enigmatic character is the one that dominates the screen. With music and sound produced by the award-winning composer Magnus Fiennes, the Yugen experience is akin to dreaming, hallucinations or an out-of-body experience.
Fiennes explains that her ‘hybrid’ work is neither “film” nor “video art”. According to her words, ‘Yugen’ is an experience closer to a painting or still work of art. Since there is no fixed narrative or prescribed length, the viewer chooses how long they wish to spend with the work; “the point at which you encounter it and the time you choose to spend with it is the perfect time for you.” The result is both immersive and mesmeric.
To learn more about Yugen from its creators, read the Christie’s interview with Martha Fiennes and Salma Hayek and visit artwork’s official website yugen.art.
