Art in the Twenty-First Century

Debut: Artists describe their work and inspirations in this two-part documentary. The opener considers the concepts of place and spirituality. Places “are the jumping-off points of my imagination,” says performance artist Laurie Anderson, who introduces the first hour. Spirituality “is the thread that connects us all,” says actress S. Epatha Merkerson, who introduces the second. Among the artists profiled: sculptor Richard Serra, renowned for his steel-plate installations; photographer Sally Mann, whose nude pictures of her children turned heads; and James Turrell, who works with light. He designs his projects, he says, “to bring the cosmos closer.”