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This documentary
by Alison Chernick follows Matthew Barney as he and his entourage,
including his wife, singer Bjork as they film his latest art film
Drawing Restraint 9. It involves his crew and a Japanese whaling ship,
strange rituals and a tank filling with 45,000 pounds of petroleum
jelly. This film shows Barney to be a dedicated artist, in love with
his craft but in love with his notoriety a bit more. Various art
gallery owners, museum curators and critics share their points of view
on Barney’s career. This film is an interesting look on how someone
prepares to film an equally bizarre film of their own.
I often wonder
why so-called artists make films that would appeal to about zero percent
of the population in a bid to get noticed. This film shows Barney to be
pretentious and seemingly believing himself on a plain that is higher
than others.
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Once you get
past the ambitious absurdity of Barney’s latest challenge,
it appears that the usual artist’s goal is not for his work
to be embraced or even noticed but for people to remember
him. It is one thing for a distinctive style to be
attributed to an individual, but to stage offbeat
attractions reeks of nothing but self promotion, which has
more to do with pride than it does art. This film does its
subject no favors. |
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It
does show the dedication and interest of the man in his work, but
also shows just how someone can hide behind the theory of artistic
expression. It also fails to give the audience an insight into what
Barney’s motivations are for his work.
The film aims to
champion Matthew Barney, but just ends up making him look stranger in
the process. I would have liked to see more interviews with Barney and
more insight and self revelation into what makes him tick. We’re given
a standard behind the scenes documentary on Barney’s in process film,
but in the basest sense possible. It’s a by the numbers love piece, not
aimed to question or examine the artist’s ideas whatsoever. Without the
reason or the desire behind the man ever presented, why should anyone
care what the outcome of Barney’s vision even is?
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