Art's a difficult thing, especially when you're focusing on anything with a contemporary bent. I've been walking through museums with various relatives, and when the pictures look like the things they're supposed to look like, it's easy; they get it. When things get abstract, thought, the going gets weird. Shawn Wickens' Gloria on Art is almost exactly like walking through a museum with various aunts I've got. Gloria, played with damn-near majestic dismissal by Jaqueline Fouasnon, walks through the lovely Socrates Sculpture Garden in Astoria, Queens. She is opinionated, hating on, or simply completely missing the point of, just about every work of art she encounters. In a way, it plays out like an exceptionally subtle SNL Digital Short, but at the same time, it's got a lot more substance due to the fact that Wickens chose to shoot in the actual sculpture garden, and included the real people who were there. That gives a certain authenticity to the film. Shot in black-and-white, and running just about 2 minutes over a lovely suite from Bach, GLoria on Art has the feeling of wry comedic performance out in the wild, which is somehow more subversive than that performed on a stage. It's like we're out in the garden with her, and she's 'on' for the visit. It only makes the film that much more rewarding. You can find out more about Shawn Wicken's work at http://shawnwickens.com/home/ |
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Klaus at GunpointA Film Journal dedicated to all film.A segment of Office Supply Publishing. Archives
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