Chilean-born Juan Downey (1940-1993), a contemporary of Gordon Matta-Clark, has remained an under-recognized pioneer of video art. A key protagonist in the New York art scene of the 1970s and 1980s, Downey combined autobiographical content with an anthropological documentary style. His later work emphasized visual metaphor, collage-like techniques and non-linear narrative to explore European mythology and the roots of Latin American identity. This biography includes interviews with Downey's family, friends and fellow artists such as Trisha Brown, Luis Camnitzer, Jon Hendricks, Alfredo Jaar, Les Levine, Antoni Muntadas and Bill Viola.