I AM NOT YOUR NEGRO (2016)
2016 James Baldwin biopic / documentary
File Under: Documentary, Black Power, Civil Rights, Literary Cinema.
“I Am Not Your Negro" is a fitting meditation on MLK Day. Raoul Peck adapts the novel James Baldwin never completed, “Remember This House", into a film discourse, focusing the lens on the history of race in America via assassinations of key civil rights leaders (Medgar, Malcolm, and Martin), the impact of racist cinematic imagery, and the continuation of the black struggle in the 21st century. The exacting words of James Baldwin narrated by Samuel L. Jackson sit heavily, a vivid reminder that the work is far from over.
"I Am Not Your Negro", Raoul Peck. 2016, USA-France.
Running Time: 93 Minutes. English-French.
Available for rent on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, and YouTube
BACURAU
2022 Sci-fi weirdo Brazilian western.
Brazilian writers / directors Juliano Dornelles and Kleber Filho take on race and class in their 2019 bizarro sci-fi Western flick “Bacurau”. The film bends genres and realities whilst following a small town and eccentric set of characters in the Brazilian outback; the town’s inner quarrels are exploded by an insidious existential threat. For sure, a heavy dose of psychedelic storytelling layered with criticism of Brazilian politics and Western economic imperialism. Available on prime video premium and other platforms if you’re willing to pay a small fee. 🇧🇷
Sam Durant
Public Protest
This week’s art post features the work of Sam Durant. Durant is a multi media artist whose works focus on hierarchies of power, referencing historical moments and social acts of resistance or response. Durant’s works are often made for public display outside of art institutions and attempt a larger public discourse.
Sam Durant, Untitled (drone), 2016-2021
Sam Durant, Proposal for Public Fountain, 2021, Sadie Coles HQ, London
Sam Durant, Like, Man, I’m Tired (of Waiting), 2021
“Since the 1990s, Sam Durant has developed a research-driven artistic practice in which he dissects and reframes both dominant historical narratives and forgotten facets of our collective past...
(L)ight boxes are based on hand-drawn protest signs that the artist found in photos of street protests. By giving the personal phrases and slogans from protest movements an existence as a colourful light box, Sam Durant emphasises their necessity, and often also the humorous or utopian character of the messages.”
Photo Sources:
ArtNet, Unit London
Mousse Magazine, Sam Durant, Proposal for Public Fountain, Sadie Coles HQ, London
Unframed, Sam Durant, Like Man I’m Tired of Waiting, LACMA
ArtLead, Billboard Series #21, Sam Durant and the Art of Dialogue
Toward Freedom, Untitled (Drone), 2021