"Can You Show Thinking?”: Mieke Bal on Film & Writing

In this episode of In the Foreground, Caro Fowler (Starr Director of the Research and Academic Program at the Clark Art Institute) speaks with Mieke Bal, a cultural theorist, critic, and video artist. Mieke's work focuses on gender, migratory culture, psychoanalysis, and the critique of capitalism. In this conversation, Mieke discusses her early influences and reflects on what drew her to filmmaking. She describes the intersections between art history and the cinematic, and delves into several of her video projects, including a “film about thinking” on Hubert Damisch. Additionally, she reflects on how for her writing, filmmaking, and curating represent distinct modes of thinking and making.  

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What does it mean to make art history? In the Foreground: Conversations on Art & Writing considers the role of art in society, how knowledge is shared (or obscured), and the way histories are made and unmade—while also considering the personal stakes of scholarship. Each episode offers a lively, in-depth look into the life and mind of a scholar or artist working with art historical or visual material. Discussions touch on guests’ current research projects, career paths, and significant texts, mentors, and experiences that have shaped their thinking. We invite you to join us and listen in on these conversations about the stakes of doing art history today.