Cornell Cinema and The Rose Goldsen Lecture Series present an evening with video and multimedia artist Tony Cokes on Tuesday, April 2, at 7:30 p.m. in the Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts Film Forum. The event is free and open to the public.
A groundbreaking figure in African-American activist video art, Cokes will present a combined program of narrative work and more recent experiments in multimedia collaboration currently featured in the Whitney Museum Biennial. Since 1984 Cokes has created single track tapes and video and sculptural installations whose delicate combination of electronic elements sensitize the viewer to the racial aspects of media culture. Most important to his work is the depiction of the interrelation of racial identities with cinematic and media histories and projections.
In "Confession" and the "Shrink" demos, Cokes challenges his viewers to look at the ideology of popular culture. His work in multiple media reflects the similarities shared by the art world, Hollywood, mass advertising and the music business. "Pop Manifestos," a series of video works inspired by SWIPE music collective, blur the boundaries between critical analysis, amateur historiography and advertising. Cokes draws upon the viewer's prior knowledge of, and interest in, rock music, and he describes the effect of his work as "intentionally disquieting."
Born in 1956 in Richmond, Va., Cokes received his B.A. in photography and creative writing from Goddard College and his M.F.A. in sculpture from Virginia Commonwealth University.
| Cornell Chronicle Front Page | | Table of Contents | | Cornell News Service Home Page |