By April MacIntyre Sep 1, 2008, 18:44 GMT
The documentary “Beautiful Losers” explores the work of unknown self-described nerds who went on to become successful street artists.
"Beautiful Losers" is currently showcased at IFC in New York, where completists will also be able to participate in educational art workshops sponsored by Nike Sportswear.
Reporter Ben Crawford of New York Times The Moment blog writes that "the 'beautiful losers' of this documentary film are self-described former nerds, freaks and outsiders who turned to skate and graffiti-inspired art, and become… successes."
From the press release:
Beautiful Losers is an exhibition of multi-media art and design that explores the recent work of a diverse group of visual artists that have emerged from the subcultures of skateboarding, graffiti, punk, and hip hop in U.S. urban centers. The core of the project involves painting, sculpture, and photography, as well as film, video, performance, and product design by more than thirty individuals who have emerged in the last decade--some now established figures in the art world, but many receiving their first broad exposure here.
The exhibition also includes a concise overview of the work of a previous generation of artists who have had a direct influence on the aesthetic development of the artists in question; an environmental soundscape that traces the relationship between these subcultures and various genres of popular music; a selection of ephemeral materials (album covers, skateboard decks, toys, zines, etc.) produced in or related to this milieu; and a film and video program to be screened within the exhibition itself.
The exhibition is conceived and curated by Christian Strike and Aaron Rose of Iconoclast.
After New York, the film will be screening in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago and Portland, OR.
LINK
Artists featured include fanboy favorites Barry McGee, Chris Johanson, Margaret Kilgallen and Harmony Korine - all of whom are viewed as serious players by the art establishment.
Crawford notes that the artists in this documentary "boast solo exhibitions at MOMA, the Hammer, the Palais de Tokyo and the Fondation Cartier, multiple feature film credits, and mass-production of their commercial designs."
This film chronicles the artists journey to fame via "incessant documentation, promotion and mythologizing of their scene," according to Crawford.
Art impresario Aaron Rose co-curated the show, co-authored the book, and serves as co-director of “Beautiful Losers,” the film — which debuted at the SXSW Film Festival, and won the Documentary Jury Award at Cinevegas.
9/19/08 - 9/26/08Gene Siskel, Chicago, IL
9/12/08 - 9/19/08Cinema 21, Portland, OR
9/05/08 - 9/12/08Landmark Lumiere, San Francisco, CA
8/29/08 - 9/08/08Landmark Nuart, Los Angeles, CA
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