Natural Spaces and Cultivation: The Art of Bill Basquin
Death Valley Love Letter (still), 16mm film/digital video silent
Bill Basquin is an artist currently based in San Francisco, California. In his artistic practice, Bill works in film and video, as well as multimedia installation, producing thoughtful works that explore the collision between natural spaces and cultivation through an abstracted lens.
Someone Who Is Not You, mixed media
I enjoy the overall atmosphere that Bill’s works evoke. Though the artist’s films are available only as stills on his portfolio, each of these film stills suggests a slow, ambiguous narrative through which the viewer can glean as much -- or as little -- information as they please. Distorted views of cool, misty landscapes abound, as do panoramic outdoor shots that are devoid of recognizable detail such that they take on the aesthetic of abstract paintings.
Some of Bill’s works seem almost tongue-in-cheek nods to the works of other artists -- contemporaries, or influences. A film still from For Mark Rothko mimics the appearance of one of the famed artist’s paintings, for example.
