Uncovering Jack Whitten’s mysterious abstractions

Role: Director/ producer

Meet Jack Whitten, the shape-shifting artist and innovator who pushed the boundaries of abstraction by imbuing his materials with history, politics, and emotion.

This short documentary offers a rare glimpse into Whitten’s groundbreaking techniques and creative process. We visit Whitten’s studio in New York, a former firehouse turned “laboratory for acrylic paint,” which remains largely untouched since his death in 2018. There, his daughter and wife explain how the collection of historical images and objects he surrounded himself with gives us a view “inside his brain” and relates to his experiences growing up in the segregated South during the Civil Rights movement.

Winner Silver Anthem Award in Documentary/Video Category 2025.