For art's sake
Alleged Gallery
Art comes in off the streets in the inspiring indie documentary Beautiful Losers.
In Beautiful Losers, director Aaron Rose tracks down the talented artists that he once hosted at his downtown New York gallery 'Alleged' in the early 1990s and documents their move from the street to the studios.
From downtrodden outcasts to desired trendsetters, the artists kept making art and didn't really think about success - it was about art for art's sake: "The only goal was to have fun and share stuff with our friends," says Rose.
The communal sensibility integral to street art comes through strongly in Beautiful Losers. Rose's documentary makes you feel that it's a simple step to move your art from the streets onto gallery walls, t-shirts, album covers, advertising posters and into recording studios, and that is the idea.
The beautiful thing about Beautiful Losers is that while it rightly puts these artists on a pedestal, it also elevates and empowers the audience at the same time - stressing the point that street art is for anyone who wants to partake.
In conjunction with the launch of the film, many of the artists featured (including Harmony Korine, Mike Mills, Shepard Fairey, Ed Templeton and Geoff McFetridge) participated in a series of art-based youth workshops called the 'Make Something' project.
Young artists could make a zine with director Aaron Rose, do a drawing workshop with Mike Mills, learn Skate Graphics with Ed Templeton or do a workshop on film scores with the film's music producer Money Mark.
The ultimate aim expressed in Beautiful Losers is "to inspire people to go out and MAKE SOMETHING!"
Beautiful Losers screens until Sunday as part of ACMI's First Look season. Session details are available here.
Published Thursday, 2 July 2009
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