A documentary produced by Lucy Rees Art
I was commissioned by MONA (Museum of Old and New Art) to produce an artist documentary on Matthew Barney on the occasion of his major solo exhibition 'River of Fundament' at the museum (22.11.2014 - 13.4.2015).
'River of Fundament' is a sprawling, ambitious interpretation of Norman Mailer's masterpiece 'Ancient Evenings'. It is one of Barney's most challenging projects to date comprising a 6-hour symphonic film by Barney and Jonathan Bepler as well as an exhibition of around 90 sculptures, drawings and photographs. Unlike its previous incarnation at the Haus der Kunst in Munich, here the artist drew from the museum's rare collection of Egyptian antiquities.
Taking cue from a cinéma vérité style, the documentary takes us behind the scenes to reveal Barney's working process as he discusses topics such as archetypes, mythology and the American vernacular, how the film is a significant departure from his previous works, his foray into traditional casting techniques, and how he responded to Mona's Eygptian collection.
The exhibition is currently showing at LA Moca and is on view until 18 January 2016.
Read the full transcript here.
Special thanks to the team at Matthew Barney Studio, New York.