“Every moment of Antigone is a confusion, a complexity and a delight – a rich muddled stew of words and images, places and atmospheres.” – Adrian Searle, The Guardian (May 2018)

The hour-long epic film, ‘Antigone’ (2018) bespeaks the British artist’s extraordinary ability to interweave mythological figures, personal history, and chance.

Dean’s primary medium is 35mm analogue film, which she cherishes for its technical versatility and grainy brilliance. Yet she is also a master of other genres and practices such as photography, printmaking, drawing, and writing.

The idea for ‘Antigone’ had been on her mind for decades: Antigone is the name of her older sister, but also of the eponymous tragic heroine of the play by Sophocles.

Ever since her first encounter with the myth of King Oedipus, Dean had wondered about what happens in the interval during which the blind exiled ruler, attended by his daughter and sister Antigone, wanders the wilderness.

This artist’s book is published on the occasion of the Swiss premiere of ‘Antigone’ at Kunstmuseum Basel | Gegenwart (28 August 2021 – 9 January 2022).