Artist Talk

How are filmic worlds created in which intellectual dimensions, politics, and sensual visual force intertwine? Which thought processes, research paths, and artistic strategies lead to works that feel both poetic and urgent? In a public _Artist Talk, Cauleen Smith, together with Eva Birkenstock, offers an in-depth look into her practice and the making of the exhibition The Volcano Manifesto.

Artist Talks open up direct access to artistic thinking—beyond film projections and exhibition spaces. In this conversation, Smith shares insights into aesthetic decisions, long-term research processes, and the political as well as emotional questions that shape her work. Visitors are invited to engage directly with the artist on core themes of the exhibition, gain background perspectives, and discuss open questions.

The exhibition title The Volcano Manifesto refers to the three filmic works My Caldera (2022), Mines to Caves (2023), and The Deep West Assembly (2024). Together, these works unfold complex meditations on geological and filmic time, on the abyss of volcanoes, and on the womb-like spaces of mines and caves. For nearly two decades, Smith has developed a lyrically visual and politically resonant practice at the intersection of independent film and visual art. Her films are accompanied by drawings, sculptures, text objects, assemblages, and performative processions, which she brings together in dense, multilayered installations.

Cauleen Smith (b. 1967 in Riverside, California) lives in Los Angeles and is Professor of Visual Art at the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts).