September 29, 2007 - February 10, 2008
Francis Al˙s: Politics of Rehearsal is the first large-scale museum exhibition in the United States devoted to the career of Belgian-born, Mexico City–based artist Francis Al˙s, widely considered to be among the most impor¬tant artists working today. The exhibition will include works in a wide range of mediums, including painting, drawing, film, video, and photography, each telling visual stories, potent myths that can be told and re-told. From the beginning of his career as an artist, Al˙s has adopted a way of working that tends to reject conclusions in favor of repetition and recalibration. He has, that is, put the idea of rehearsal at the heart of his practice. All of the work in the exhibition will be accompanied by the beautiful and fragile preparatory drawings for which Al˙s is renowned, as well as by paintings, documents, and further video work.
This exhibition is organized by Russell Ferguson, Chair, Department of Art, University of California, Los Angeles, and Adjunct Curator, Hammer Museum.
Francis Al˙s: Politics of Rehearsal is the first large-scale museum exhibition in the United States devoted to the career of Belgian-born, Mexico City–based artist Francis Al˙s, widely considered to be among the most impor¬tant artists working today. The exhibition will include works in a wide range of mediums, including painting, drawing, film, video, and photography, each telling visual stories, potent myths that can be told and re-told. From the beginning of his career as an artist, Al˙s has adopted a way of working that tends to reject conclusions in favor of repetition and recalibration. He has, that is, put the idea of rehearsal at the heart of his practice. All of the work in the exhibition will be accompanied by the beautiful and fragile preparatory drawings for which Al˙s is renowned, as well as by paintings, documents, and further video work.
This exhibition is organized by Russell Ferguson, Chair, Department of Art, University of California, Los Angeles, and Adjunct Curator, Hammer Museum.
This exhibition has been generously supported by Fundación/Colección Jumex, The Broad Art Foundation, and Heidi and Erik Murkoff. Additional support has been provided by the Peter Norton Family Foundation, Sony Pictures Entertainment, the Flemish Community, and the David Teiger Curatorial Travel Fund.
This exhibition was realized in collaboration with Rafael Ortega. All works courtesy of David Zwirner, New York.
Tu Ciudad magazine is the official media sponsor for the exhibition.
This exhibition was realized in collaboration with Rafael Ortega. All works courtesy of David Zwirner, New York.
Tu Ciudad magazine is the official media sponsor for the exhibition.
Saturday Sep 29, 3pm
Artist Talk
Join Francis Al˙s as he discusses his work and the exhibition.
Artist Talk
Join Francis Al˙s as he discusses his work and the exhibition.
Tuesday Oct 2, 7pm
Hammer Screening
Wide Details
Starting in the heart of Mexico City, this documentary film follows Al˙s in his travels and projects in London, Berlin, Lima, and Jerusalem. Directed by Julien Devaux, 2006. Running time: 56 minutes.
Hammer Screening
Wide Details
Starting in the heart of Mexico City, this documentary film follows Al˙s in his travels and projects in London, Berlin, Lima, and Jerusalem. Directed by Julien Devaux, 2006. Running time: 56 minutes.
Wednesday Dec 5, 7pm
Lecture
On Francis Al˙s
Lynne Cooke is curator at Dia Art Foundation in New York, and has organized numerous exhibitions in the United States, Europe, and elsewhere. Renowned for her incisive critical essays, Cooke has published several artist monographs, and written widely about contemporary art in Artscribe, Burlington Magazine, and Parkett. She teaches at the Center for Curatorial Studies, Bard College.
Lecture
On Francis Al˙s
Lynne Cooke is curator at Dia Art Foundation in New York, and has organized numerous exhibitions in the United States, Europe, and elsewhere. Renowned for her incisive critical essays, Cooke has published several artist monographs, and written widely about contemporary art in Artscribe, Burlington Magazine, and Parkett. She teaches at the Center for Curatorial Studies, Bard College.
Wednesday Jan 9, 7pm
Hammer Screening
Sympathy for the Devil
Originally titled One on One, Sympathy for the Devil mixes footage of a recording session by the Rolling Stones with fictional vignettes about Black Power, pornography, and the political counterculture of the 1960s. Directed by Jean-Luc Godard, 1968. Running time 100 minutes; DVD.
Hammer Screening
Sympathy for the Devil
Originally titled One on One, Sympathy for the Devil mixes footage of a recording session by the Rolling Stones with fictional vignettes about Black Power, pornography, and the political counterculture of the 1960s. Directed by Jean-Luc Godard, 1968. Running time 100 minutes; DVD.
Tuesday Jan 22, 7pm
Hammer Screening
F for Fake
Master trickster and self-described charlatan Orson Welles directs this duplicitious documentary, rife with movie-making sleight of hand, about the life of renowned art forger Elmyr de Hory and his equally devious biographer Clifford Irving. By the time th efilm is over, it is unclear who is folling who and if there can ever be a single truth. Directed by Orson Welles, 1974. Running time 88 minutes; 35mm.
Hammer Screening
F for Fake
Master trickster and self-described charlatan Orson Welles directs this duplicitious documentary, rife with movie-making sleight of hand, about the life of renowned art forger Elmyr de Hory and his equally devious biographer Clifford Irving. By the time th efilm is over, it is unclear who is folling who and if there can ever be a single truth. Directed by Orson Welles, 1974. Running time 88 minutes; 35mm.
Wednesday Jan 30, 7pm
Hammer Screening
Prova d'orchestra
Originally made for Italian television, thsi final collaboration between director Federico Fellini and composer Nino Rota presents the orchestra as metaphor for the world at large. A documentary crew films a rehearsal that violently erupts into a mutiny against a tyrannical maestro before the players regain their ability to work together. Directed by Federico Fellini, 1978. Running time 70 minutes; 35mm.
Hammer Screening
Prova d'orchestra
Originally made for Italian television, thsi final collaboration between director Federico Fellini and composer Nino Rota presents the orchestra as metaphor for the world at large. A documentary crew films a rehearsal that violently erupts into a mutiny against a tyrannical maestro before the players regain their ability to work together. Directed by Federico Fellini, 1978. Running time 70 minutes; 35mm.
Friday Feb 8, 7pm
Hammer Bash!
Closing Party
Cash bar and DJ in the courtyard. Presented with Tu Ciudad magazine, the official media sponsor for the exhibition. 7-11pm.
Hammer Bash!
Closing Party
Cash bar and DJ in the courtyard. Presented with Tu Ciudad magazine, the official media sponsor for the exhibition. 7-11pm.
Above: Francis Al˙s. When Faith Moves Mountains, 2002 (detail). 16mm film transferred to DVD. Inset: Francis Al˙s. Rehearsal 1, 1999-2000 (detail). Projected video, audio system.