Last month, Paris+ par Art Basel presented a panel discussion that examined the cultural legacy of The Walt Disney Studios—one of the most influential myth producers of the 20th century. A panel of artists and scholars, including CalArts School of Critical Studies faculty Norman Klein, gathered to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the iconic studio, delving into the complexities of Disney’s impact on art, animation, and society. The conversation on Oct. 16 was moderated by writer and critic Sabrina Tarasoff, and explored “the wonders and nightmares imagined by a creator as iconic as he is controversial,” according to the program.
On the panel were:
Klein, an urban and media historian and novelist whose extensive body of work includes The History of Forgetting and The Vatican to Vegas: The History of Special Effects.
Meriem Bennani, a Moroccan-born artist based in Brooklyn, who works across film, sculpture, and immersive installation in an effort to question our contemporary society and its fractured identities, gender issues, and the ubiquitous dominance of digital technologies. Bennani’s work has been shown at the Whitney Biennale and MoMA PS1, New York and Fondation Louis Vuitton, Paris.
Filmmaker Andrew Norman Wilson, whose work has been showcased at Sundance and the New York Film Festival. Based between Europe and the US, he has taught and lectured in prestigious institutions in the US and UK and has published his writings in Artforum and The Paris Review.
The Paris+ par Art Basel Conversations program was curated by Charles Teyssou and Pierre-Alexandre Matéos. The series was presented in collaboration with the Centre Pompidou and unfolded at the Musée National Picasso-Paris.
Watch the full recording of “The Walt Disney Studios: 100 Years of Wonders and Nightmares” above.
