With a searing body of work ranging from films and drawings to print, sculptures, and theatrical productions, William Kentridge has offered a fresh and distinctive perspective on the contemporary social landscape, with a particular emphasis on his native South Africa. His practice of the past two decades is based on his intensive exploration of themes that are evocative of his own life experience as well as the political issues that most concern him. Produced in close collaboration with the artist, this catalogue investigates the five primary themes that have engaged Kentridge over the course of his influencial career: 1. Parcours d'Atelier: Artist in the Studio 2.Thick Time: Soho and Felix 3.Occasional and Residual Hope: Ubu and the Procession 4.Sarastro and the Master's Voice: The Magic Flute 5.Learning from the Absurd: The Nose Rich in content and illustrations, the publication bears witness to an artist wrestling with each theme and experimenting with formally innovative ways to convey meaning. It reveals as never before the full arc of Kentridge's career, following along as his subject matter has departed from a specifically South African context to confront more general concerns of social injustice, revolutionary politics, and the power of creative expression. -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.