Art21 is the world’s leading platform for learning directly from the artists of our time. Its mission is to educate and expand access to contemporary art through the production of documentary films, resources, and public programmes.

Art21 has unveiled Anne Imhof: DOOM, a new documentary that follows the acclaimed performance artist as she realizes her most ambitious project to date. DOOM: House of Hope (2025) reimagined the Park Avenue Armory’s historic Drill Hall as a prom-themed gymnasium, complete with streamers, balloons, and Cadillac Escalades, an environment that probes the archetypes of youth culture and shifting social norms. The film traces Imhof’s process as she inverts Romeo and Juliet, weaving together dance, music, skateboarding, and more into a sprawling three-hour performance.

“It addresses bodily autonomy and the freedom to love openly without threat or government interference. These freedoms are now under greater assault, which underscores the urgency of Anne’s message and the artist’s role in keeping such issues at the center of public consciousness.” Ian Forster, director and Art21 senior producer said.

Constantly unsettling boundaries of genre, medium, and discipline, Imhof blends the classical and the contemporary to probe themes of youth, art criticism, and beyond. In addition to DOOM, the film also documents her 2024 exhibition Wish You Were Gay, which juxtaposed early video works with new sculptures and paintings, reflecting on her own adolescence and revealing the personal histories and creative explorations that ultimately shaped DOOM. It’s on view on the platform.

“DOOM was telling the story of these wounds,” the artist reflects.

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Images: Production still from the Art21 “Extended Play” film, “Anne Imhof: DOOM.” © Art21, Inc. 2025.