Daniel Traub

The Barefoot Artist

Glenn Holsten, Daniel Traub

Lily Yeh is a global artist who is fueled by a belief that art is a human right, and that artists can create a foundation for profound social change. Slight of frame, but large in spirit and vision, the 70-year-old artist was born in China, lives in Philadelphia, and now, as constant traveler, the world is her canvas. Our film explores two sides of Lily's life that are connected parts of the same journey: her international ventures helping to heal weakened spirits in communities around the world and a personal journey within, to repair her own fractured family.

Ursula von Rydingsvard: Into Her Own

Daniel Traub

Ursula von Rydingsvard

This compelling documentary portrait is a quiet ode to a woman whose approach to form and material are unmatched in the art world. Working primarily in cedar, von Rydingsvard creates monumental sculptures that play with texture and shape in ways that evoke surprising emotion. Born in Germany to Ukrainian-Polish parents, von Rydingsvard’s family was detained for five years in a post-WWII refugee camp before moving to America. The pain and trauma of this experience, coupled with the anger born from an abusive childhood, left indelible marks on Ursula. But her ability to channel this into her work and practice undoubtedly birthed an artist of singular determination and talent.

Xu Bing: Phoenix

Daniel Traub

Xu Bing

Drawing inspiration from the contemporary realities of his fast-changing country, Chinese artist Xu Bing spent two years creating his newest work, Phoenix. The installation features two monumental birds fabricated entirely from materials harvested from construction sites in urban China, including demolition debris, steel beams, tools, and remnants of the daily lives of migrant laborers. At once fierce and strangely beautiful, the mythic Phoenixes bear witness to the complex interconnection between labor, history, commercial development, and the rapid accumulation of wealth in today's China. The film Xu Bing: Phoenix documents the process of creating the work through to its installation at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASSMoCA).