IDFA in the Stedelijk: Johan Grimonprez
Events — 18 until Nov 19, 2016
In collaboration with IDFA, the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam presents two video works from Belgian artist Johan Grimonprez. These two works from the Stedelijk Museum collection, acquired in 1996 and 2004, are presented in one of the lower level galleries and the Teijin Auditorium on Friday, November 18 (10am - 10pm) and Saturday (10am - 6pm), November 19, 2016.
- Price
- € 3 with Museumcard / € 9 with IDFA passepartout / regular € 18 / students € 9
- Location
- Lower level galleries and Teijin auditorium
- Time
- 18 until Nov 19, 2016, 9 am until 5 pm
- Main language
- English with Dutch subtitles
- Admission
- Regular tickets Discount with IDFA passepartout
The main work in this presentation is the film Dial H-I-S-T-O-R-Y (1997-2007), in which historical events are narrated through images of airplane hijackings and fatalities. News images are interspersed with snippets from science fiction films, found footage and home videos. More than offering a perspective on terrorism, Dial H-I-S-T-O-R-Y addresses the increasing power of the mass media: according to Grimonprez, terrorism itself is being hijacked by radio and television.
The second and lesser known video work, Kobaweng or Where is Your Helicopter? (1992), is a short documentary that deals with the history of a remote village in the highlands of New Guinea. The video presents archival footage and oral histories concerning the first encounter between the Irian Jaya people and the scientific crew of the Dutch Star Mountains Expedition, which included several anthropologists. Kobaweng or Where is Your Helicopter? will continue to be shown until November 26, 2016.
Both films explore the tensions between documentary and fiction. This weekend presentation will conclude with a lecture by Prof. Emeritus Thomas Elsaesser, entitled ‘The Art of Projection and the Return of the Phantasmagoria: Johan Grimonprez' Dark Ages’ on the afternoon of Sunday, November 20.
MORE INFO:
A new documentary by Grimonprez, Shadow World (2016) will have its Dutch premiere on Thursday, November 17 during the IDFA festival. In response to the disturbing book The Shadow World: Inside the Global Arms Trade by Andrew Feinstein, Grimonprez films investigative journalists, arms traders and lobbyists who disclose the ways in which the international arms trade constitutes a threat to democracy. Times and locations here.
CREDITS:
This collection presentation is curated by Britte Sloothaak (assistant curator Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam) in collaboration with Joost Daamen (programmer IDFA) and was made possible with the support of IDFA.