Screening: Downtown 81

Date

Schedule

19:00–21:00

Place

Garage Auditorium

DESCRIPTION

A film about a true American legend, a poet, an icon of the 1980s, a prominent neo-expressionist and the most important African-American artist of the twentieth century—Jean-Michel Basquiat.

Warhol, Madonna, Bowie and Jarmusch worshipped Jean-Michel Basquiat. His works are displayed in the world's biggest museums, they are sold for millions of dollars at the most prestigious auctions. In 2017 the Barbican Center will host a Basquiat retrospective of unbelievable scope.

Basquiat is an artist whose life was followed worldwide, from a meteoric rise to fame until its tragic end. The recurrent themes of his work were racism, identity, pop and urban culture. Remarkably, one of Basquiat's breakthrough paintings was titled Cadillac Moon (1981). Two cars drawn in his signature style epitomize the street life in the city.

Downtown 81 (1981) is an experimental film directed by Edo Bertoglio and written by Glenn O'Brien. Bertoglio is a Swiss photographer and film-maker who was a regular contributor to Italian Vogue and Interview magazine during the Andy Warhol era. Glenn O'Brien is an American journalist, art critic, and a member of Warhol's Factory. The film was shot in 1981 but the public first saw it in 2000 when it premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. It is an insightful portrait of an aspiring artist and a precise snapshot of New York at the time of no wave, post-punk and nascent hip hop culture. Basquiat, nineteen years old at the time of filming, plays himself. He wanders around empty streets of Manhattan in search of inspiration, thinking about his destiny. He encounters downtown characters and underground celebrities, all the while leaving signs and messages on the walls of the buildings.

The film operates on the middle ground between the classic and the cult. It is praised by fans of one of the most valued American artists as well as film critics. Downtown 81 is also notable for its soundtrack which features music by John Lurie, Suicide, Vincent Gallo, Blondie, and Lydia Lunch among many others.

Downtown 81

Dir. Edo Bertoglio. 72 minutes, USA, 1981