“I Am Not Me, the Horse is Not Mine” by William Kentridge

In “I Am Not Me, the Horse is Not Mine”* William Kentridge scatters in frustration paper into the air, which falls into the hands of his own projected image. As sheets of paper are plucked from the screen as deftly as if by a ballet dancer, Kentridge, weighted down by his own mass and history, pauses to marvel at his graceful doppelganger. Kentridge creates what he calls the “provisionality of a moment.” The simple opposite of what is expected opens up a kaleidoscope of possibilities. The New Yorker quoted Kentridge saying,“ I am interested in a political art, that is to say an art of ambiguity, contradiction, uncompleted gestures, and uncertain endings. An art (and a politics) in which optimism is kept in check and nihilism at bay.” * In his work horses fall into pieces, texts lose their meaning, noses run away, beliefs disintegrate. Juggling optimism and nihilism, Kentridge nimbly balances on the brink of a vortex, vigilantly watching for any indication of truth.