In 1991, Matthew Barney exploded onto the New York art scene with all the force of his often insanely physical videos. Just eight years later, a New York Times article dared to crown him "the most important artist of his generation." The occasion was the release of "Cremaster," one of a cycle of five

Epic, Perverse, Quirky, Surreal

Adrian Piper is a Conceptual artist who uses language, rhetoric, and visual media to create pieces that render issues such as racism and xenophobia in harshly realistic terms. Also an accomplished professor of philosophy at Wellesley College, Piper sees racism as "a visual and cognitive pathology tha

Angry, Composed, Deconstructive, Distorted, In-your-face, Political

Ono's work has generally consisted of quiet, personalized, meditative pieces, as well as "event" shows or Happenings, all of which were highly conceptual and often required observer participation to complete. In her "Stone Show" (early 1960s), participants entered a room measuring about 20 square fee

Clever, Fluxus, Improvised, Open-ended, Physical force, Political, Quirky, Rebel, Serene, Sincere, Smart

For Video artist Stan Douglas, the moment is always a multiple, layered event. Each moment speaks in chorus -- sometimes in harmony, sometimes not, but always in provocative juxtaposition. Take his 1994 piece entitled "Evening." On three screens that are almost cinematic in scope, three stations

Deconstructive, Distorted, Dystopic, Ironic, Layered, Political