ART FOR ART'S SAKE

Every artist should view these for inspiration and every collector and curator should look at these to disconnect from the market mentallity and let go of the notion of art as commodity.

Jonas Mekas has made excellent observations which spaek to all artists - not only filmakers. I urge you to stick with these two videos where he speaks about his retrospective but more importantly the process and value of art making. It has given me renewed energy to continue work in foam whether anyone will show it or buy it! I hope it fuels others in forward motion despite the gloomy economy.

Jonas Mekas on Underground Cinema Whitney Retrospective - Part 1

Jonas Mekas on Underground Cinema Whitney Retrospective - Part 2

A vist to the Castle of the Marquis de Sade & the Studio of Cezzane.

Jonas Mekas and Andy Warhol avant-garde approaches to filmmaking helped established film as an art form before and during the Fluxus movement.As early as the 1950’s, leading avant-garde filmmaker and diarist Jonas Mekas was experimenting with new technologies, developing his signature approach and in-camera style of editing ( illustrated in this video). Decades later, he has continued to be at the forefront of digital innovation (see http://www.jonasmekas.com/). His 365 film project on his web site is testament to his commitment to the art of film. Incorporating archival and new footage, he released one film each day throughout 2007. This work was exhibited in 2008 at Mary Stendahl Gallery “From Fluxus to Media Art” one year ago.

For the exhibition, Mekas personally selected films from this collection to document creative impulses of important Fluxus artists. Appearances by George Maciunas, Shigeko Kubota, Nam June Paik, Ben Vautier and Andy Warhol were featured.His recent 9-monitor video installation “Fluxus and Warhol” (2008), premiered at this exhibition. The monitors featured the latest innovation in Wetsinghouse digital technologies. Edited between frames, Mekas’ inserted text making comparisons between Maciunas and Warhol.

Also at this exhibition were 40 film stills entitled “Warhol Series #1”. The collection examined the career of Andy Warhol. Produced in edition of 10, these still images recorded Warhol during the early days of his Factory with Baby Jane Holzer, vacationing at his estate in Montauk, Long Island with friends Lee Radziwill, and the 1971 retrospective at the Whitney Museum of American Art when Warhol covered the walls with his novelty cow wallpaper.