Art has no boundaries, and it doesn’t always have to explain what it is all about. It can cross over into different realms and worlds. Basically, art can transcend the expected social norms. Perhaps no one knows this better than Meredith Monk, the groundbreaking and totally unique, interdisciplinary artist, composer, and performer, who is the completely fascinating subject of Monk in Pieces, the beguiling biodoc directed, written, and produced by Billy Shebar and David Roberts.
Buy Monk in PiecesI have to admit that I wasn’t familiar with Monk until I saw one of her films, Turtle Dreams, on an episode of Red Letter Media’s Best of the Worst: Wheel of the Worst #21 (on YouTube), where Rich Evans, Jay Bauman, Josh Evans, and creator Mike Stoklasa poke fun at it and talk about their confusion behind it.
Unfortunately, I laughed at what they were they saying. However, watching Monk in Pieces, I take back those laughs because Monk has a style and likeness that is totally her own. As a female artist in the 60’s and 70’s New York City arts scene in, she had to overcome hostile critics and those who didn’t quite get her work, in order to become one of the most seminal artists of her time.
With input from icons such as David Byrne, Bjork, Philip Glass, as well as Monk herself and those she worked with over the years, she tells the story of her work, talent, relationships, and her voice (which is one of the most compelling and incredible I’ve ever heard in my life). Her music stems from pain, rage, sadness, loss, and the world around her. But it also dares to think outside the box and lead to a certain kind of remarkable vision that many people don’t get, but others will remember.
There is footage from not just Turtle Dreams (1983), but also works like Quarry (1976), Dolmen Music (1979), and Atlas (1991), among others, that showcase her mastery of sensory experience and experimental abstraction. Her type of art feels otherworldly and something that I’ve never seen or heard before, but found myself getting utterly hypnotized by as I watched the doc. There are also matters of reflection towards sex, death, and feminism that Monk explains, which makes her even more magnetic as she ponders if anyone will remember her gifts long after she’s gone. This gives the doc a poignancy that makes it work and gives art itself a whole new meaning.
If you happen to be familiar with Monk, her work, and her life, then Monk in Pieces is definitely a film to let wash over you. It is just as ethereal as Monk herself. The special features include theatrical trailer, and archival performance footage that includes numerous pieces from 1973-2025, curated by Monk.
