William Kentridge and Marlene Dumas – two of the most celebrated names in international contemporary art – come face to face in a series of frank, witty, and intense discussions about their work and practice. The film follows them from the gentle ambiance of a dinner conversation to their studios – where we are given insight into the way that each artist works – to some of their finished works and installations. What emerges is how very different these two highly successful South African artists approach image-making. Dumas’ method is deeply intuitive – she often works on the floor as though embracing her paintings, pouring and dabbing paint to produce her remarkable portraits. Kentridge is intensely systematic, alternating gestural mark-making with the repetitive action of drawing-filming-erasing for his animated films. “In Conversation,” William and Marlene talk about their choice of content in reference to self-portraits, pornography, sexuality, the close-up, landscape, politics, and death. 

“William Kentridge and Marlene Dumas are two of the most celebrated names in international contemporary art.” —THE SMITHSONIAN 

“A visually rich film shows the range of their work in both studio and gallery spaces.” —CULTURE UNPLUGGED

Courtesy of Icarus Films