ARTISTS

Atsushi Yamamoto’s moving-image work ranges from socially engaged fiction to personal documentaries to comedic experimental videos that question the meaning and meaninglessness of life. Many of Yamamoto’s videos were made on his days off from his office job, and the sense of ennui built up over many years working at the same organization informs Roundabout: “Movement that appears as a closed circle is, in reality, a spiral progressing forward,” the artist has said. This wordless video focuses on the central roundabout in Hue, Vietnam, where Yamamoto spent time living. The camera’s birds’-eye view shows the scale of cars and motorbikes flowing through the busy intersection, while children learn these traffic patterns at a slower speed as they drive go-karts in an adjacent plaza. The question remains: Is this roundabout a closed circle or a spiral?