A new film by Fatih Akin, The Edge of Heaven, opened this year’s Berlin and Beyond Film Festival held at the Castro theater. The film moves back and forth between Germany and Turkey to tell a complex story of intersecting lives. There are a handful of characters in the story including Ayten, who while looking for her mother falls in love with a German woman. The film is up for Germany’s Oscar bid even though there’s a lezzie love story in it! I love it. Here is an example of a well done film intertwining four protagonists, their messy lives, and all kinds of love.
Way to go German film. One of my favorite filmmakers is Monika Treut who came out of the 70’s German cinema and at the time was a leader in queer women’s film. Her work is described by www.glbtq.com as unselfconsciously depicted worlds that the mainstream media tends to treat as “deviant.” Her work consistently explores challenging and controversial issues surrounding minority sexual and gender identities.” My hero! One of my favorites is… (more…)
New Langton curated a Feminist art show last night with a mix of photography, installation, video and then finished the night with the band TITS. I was, in fact, surprised to see so much nudity. Are we feminists still obsessed with displaying bodies in all these varied ways, from running around the forests topless to putting our vagina’s in a box called a video screen. This must be proof that our glorified nude body parts are still living strong as inconograhic symbols of feminism. Or are they? I didn’t know this but, “The subject of feminist art has recently obtained a “faddish” status in the art world. Small Things End, Great Things Endure proposes that – far from mere trend – feminist art practice is gathering momentum. As a form of politics and as a body of thought, feminism has been characterized by an uneven development: its messages have spread in slow and unruly ways, frequently hindered by lines of class and geography, by periods of backlash and denial, and by moments of revivalism quickly co-opted by the marketplace (rrriot girl to bad girl to spice girl).” A myriad of artists showed, and honestly the art scene is not my expertise, but Wynne Greenwood is! Not really-but I love her work. She had an exhibit there, I heard she was there,and I missed her! She is one of my star crushes and going to her Tracy and the Plastics shows has given me inspiration during times of banality.
I recently had the pleasure to watch the documentary, A Walk into the Sea: Danny Williams and the Warhol Factory, about Director Esther Robinson’s personal inquiry into the truth behind her Uncle Danny Williams’ mysterious 1966 disappearance. It was an interesting, well crafted creepy depiction of another talented soul seemingly starved for love and attention who becomes a part of the factory, a Warhol filmmaker, and apparently one of his gay lovers. The film is traveling the festival circuit now-I saw it in Sao Paulo, Brazil in the queer festival there called MixBrasil(Started by Brazilians who worked at NYC Mix Festival.)
Last night I watched another new film called Factory Girl 2006 about the story of Edie Sedgwick. (This is the Hollywood movie version of Edie, but you can check out the 1972 Ciao Manhattan in which Edie actually stars in it.) Again, Warhol is depicted as the subtly evil, manipulative star maker/blood sucker.
Both are fascinating and depressing. Both Edie and Danny are shown as obsessions and love objects of Warhol, they get their artistic chance in NY, and it ends with Warhol discarding them both and eventually their lives ending in their mid 20’s. These depictions of the factory leave me with this empty, gross feeling and I would like to know why. Is it the glitz and glamour of art fame that seems to go hand in hand with hard core drug use in the factory? Or is it this perspective of Warhol the art monster having these manipulative social “skills,” leading talented people into doing all his work for him while he receives the credit and fame, and producing this iconographic American art that seems to become more and more famous (or infamous) as the years go on. The factory becomes the real factory. The corporations bloodsucking the life out of us. We are either in or out. Join a corporate cult and succeed-if you can get into one.
I think the latter is what leaves me with the gross feeling. It comes down to our own egos, our fears, and capitalism-strive to become the Andy Warhol of your life or accept to work in the factory. Warhol was right. His model is no different than most of the factories. Brilliant or psychotic?
I’m opting for a myriad of alternatives. I’m starting with yoga and meditative compassion.
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