Watch: Bas Jan Ader's haunting video work

Bas jan Ader, born in 1942 and apparently lost at sea in 1975, was an important Dutch video and conceptual artist. In 1975, he attempted to sail across the Atlantic and disappeared in a thirteen-foot sailboat. In this compilation of works by Ader, you can watch his silent films in which he is the main subject. The first time I saw these videos, I couldn't stop thinking about them all day. The situations in the videos are simple, even mundane, but depicted in a way that feels deeply haunting. Ader holds onto a tree branch and hangs above a pond in one video, and he slowly leans to one side as he begins to lose his balance in another. These simple gestures get deep under my skin because of the way they're portrayed so seriosuly, in complete silence.