‘Art Became a Form of Escapism for Me’: Watch How Video Games Inspire Jacolby Satterwhite’s Artistic Lexicon

How can we think about art at a time like this? The artist
Jacolby Satterwhite, who has survived cancer and lost
his mother three years ago, might ask instead, how can we not?

The multidisciplinary artist’s practice has long been informed
by his most personal experiences, including confronting his own
mortality. In an exclusive interview with Art21 filmed in February,
ahead of his solo show at Pioneer Works in Brooklyn, Satterwhite explained that video games like Final
Fantasy were escapes for him while he underwent cancer
treatments as a child.

“I can see that as my natural lexicon as a creator,” he says in
the episode of Art21’s series New York Close
Up. “Maybe I’ve been skeptical of my own mortality my
whole life.”

As macabre as it might sound, that understanding has helped make
Satterwhite more dedicated to his work, to “make myself witness
these objects and say that I’m still here.”

In addition to using his late mother’s artworks as raw material
for techno music videos, Satterwhite borrows from religious
iconography often, returning to the themes of “regeneration,
healing, and resurrection” and leaning into the rituals that are
ingrained in belief systems.

In a current virtual exhibition, titled “How Can We Think
of Art at a Time Like This,” artists are reacting in real time
to our current times by submitting their work to the online
archive. On view there is Satterwhite’s piece Avenue B, featuring
videos based on the Nigerian Yoruba folklore rituals that combine
dance, sculpture, costume, and durational performance to honor the
matriarch.

For Satterwhite, world-building is a form of self-care. Speaking to Art21 back in February, his words
ring true today, “Art became a form
of escapism for me to reroute my personal traumas. And now I think
I’m trying to pursue something more present.”

Watch the video, which originally appeared as part
of Art21’s New York Close Up series, below. Jacolby
Satterwhite’s work is available to view in the “How Can We Think of Art at a Time
Like This?” online exhibition for the
foreseeable future.

This is an installment of “Art on Video,” a collaboration
between Artnet News and Art21 that brings you clips of newsmaking
artists. A new series of the nonprofit Art21’s flagship series Art
in the Twenty-First Century is available now on PBS. Catch episodes
of other series like “New York Close Up” and “Extended Play” and
learn about the organization’s educational programs
at Art21.org.

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Video Games Inspire Jacolby Satterwhite’s Artistic Lexicon
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