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Artworks

Maniac Chase, 2008-2009

  • Artist

    Steffani Jemison

  • Title

    Maniac Chase

  • Date

    2008-2009

  • Medium

    Digital video

  • Dimensions

    Endless loop

  • Credit line

    The Studio Museum in Harlem; Museum purchase with funds provided by the Acquisition Committee

  • Object Number

    2013.13.1

Steffani Jemison’s video work disrupts traditional notions of time and narrative to create an ambivalent comment on social mobility within Black communities in the United States. Inspired by the early cinematic genre of chase films, Jemison adopts strategies of repetition and unclear storylines in Maniac Chase. These elements, combined with the use of Black bodies and a deserted setting, seem to argue against the widespread belief that life for African Americans is constantly improving. Instead, Jemison conveys the runners’ endless physical and psychological labor as ultimately unchanging over time.


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Artworks

Maniac Chase, 2008-2009

  • Artist

    Steffani Jemison

  • Title

    Maniac Chase

  • Date

    2008-2009

  • Medium

    Digital video

  • Dimensions

    Endless loop

  • Credit line

    The Studio Museum in Harlem; Museum purchase with funds provided by the Acquisition Committee

  • Object Number

    2013.13.1

Steffani Jemison’s video work disrupts traditional notions of time and narrative to create an ambivalent comment on social mobility within Black communities in the United States. Inspired by the early cinematic genre of chase films, Jemison adopts strategies of repetition and unclear storylines in Maniac Chase. These elements, combined with the use of Black bodies and a deserted setting, seem to argue against the widespread belief that life for African Americans is constantly improving. Instead, Jemison conveys the runners’ endless physical and psychological labor as ultimately unchanging over time.


Explore further