DISPATCH - NOV 28, 2012 (8:05 a.m.)
HAMPTONS, NY-
Artists find themselves the subject of documentaries screening in three different events in the Hamptons this weekend. Appearing first are historic artists in East End Stories on Screen on Thursday at the Parrish Art Museum. Contemporary artists on film help open the Hamptons Take 2 Documentary Film Festival at Bay Street Theatre on Friday and wrap up the OLA Latino Film Festival on Sunday at the Parrish Art Museum.
Each film is part of a broader effort to present quality documentaries revealing stories about the experiences of being human.
Contemporary artists Harald Marinius Olson and David Rankin both appear in Shelter Island: Art + Friendship + Discover, directed by Michael Canzoniero. The documentary screens Friday night at 8:15 p.m. at Hamptons Take 2 Documentary Film Festival. The film portrays the journey of outsider artist Harold Olsen of Shelter Island and the relationships that fostered the man and his artwork.
Olson's life as an artist was fostered by Shelter Island resident Jimmy Olinkiewicz, who set up a studio in his gas station so Olson could make art. Rankin becomes Olson's mentor and is instrumental in championing Olson's art to the larger art world. Rankin is an abstract artist who exhibit internationally. He has a studio on Shelter Island, NY.
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Harald Marinius Olson with his painted gas station pumps. Photo: C.B. Grubb.
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Contemporary artist Cristina Iglesias's underwater installation is featured in Jardin en el Mar, directed by Thomas Riedelsheimer, an award-winning German filmmaker. The documentary screens on Sunday at 3 p.m. on the final day of the 9th annual OLA Latino Film Festival. The screening is the film's permiere in the United States.
Jardin en el Mar is centered upon the four-year process of a deep water installation by Spanish artist Cristina Iglesias. "Submerged Settings" was placed in the Sea of Cortez in Mexico, in the bottom of Candelor Bay off the Island of Espiritu Santo. The Sea of Cortez (also known as the Gulf of California) is a body of water between Baja California Peninsula and the mainland in Mexico.
Iglesias was commissioned to make the piece by the Mexican Foundation of Environmental Education in Baja to help celebrate the area's designation of a UNESCO world heritage site. Iglesias created a "Garden in the Sea" made up of a labyrinth of screens where plant and sea life could claim as part of its own, according to the film's website.
Iglesias's aim for the installation was to create a piece that would express the extraordinary beauty of the location and emphasize the importance of preservation, according to a film festival release.
Fusing the art of installation with the art of filmmaking, Riedelsheimer captures the beauty of the underground landscape while portraying the dedication and love for the island that inspired the art commission. The film also reveals the interconnectedness of human passion, experiences and longing and the value and beauty of nature and its delicate balances.
Iglesias is a sculptor and installation artist who exhibits internationally. She represented Spain at the 1986 and 1993 Venice Biennales. Solo exhibitions include Kunsthalle Berne (Switzerland), the Stedelijk Van Abbemuseum (Netherlands), Eindhoven (Netherlands), the Guggenheim Bilbao (Spain) and the Marian Goodman Gallery in New York, NY (USA).
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Film still from Jardin en el mar. Partial view of an installation by Cristina Iglesias. The film is directed by Thomas Riedelsheimer.
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On Thursday at 6 p.m. Hamptons art history comes alive in a series of films and footage for the first installment of East End Stories on Screen. The 70-minute program is curated and hosted by LTV archivist Genie Henderson.
Highlights of the program include the premiere of a 12-minute trailer for Castles in the Sand, a documentary by Max Scott based on the book Hamptons Bohemia by Helen Harrison. Harrison will introduce the film. Footage includes a walk-through of the Willem de Kooning (1904-1997) retrospective at the Whitney Museum of American Art by Elaine de Kooning (1919-1989).
Another highlight is the screening of a 1972 film that documents the making of the artwork "Hamptons Drive-In" by painter-filmmaker Howard Kanovitz (1929-2009). The painting is a currently on view at the museum and is a recent addition to its permanent collection. The film will be introduced by Kanovitz's widow, Carolyn Oldenbusch.
East End Stories on Screen also includes footage from LTV-produced programming featuring artists including John Chamberlain (1929-2009), Chuck Close, Robert Dash, Connie Fox, April Gornik, Margaret Kerr, John Little (1907-1984), Philip Pavia (1911-2005), Elizabeth Strong-Cuevas and Hedda Sterne (1910-2011).
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Film still from the LTV Archives: Constantino Nivola at work in his studio, c. 1959.
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BASIC FACTS: East End Stories on Screen is a film series at the Parrish Art Museum. The first installment takes place on Thursday (Nov 29) at 6 p.m. It is curated by Genie Henderson. For details, visit parrishart.org. The series continues on Dec 14 and Dec 21, 2012.
The Fifth Annual Hamptons Take 2 Documentary Film Festival takes place from Nov 30 to Dec 2 at Bay Street Theatre in Sag Harbor, NY. For programming and details, visit ht2ff.com.
Shelter Island: Art + Friendship + Discover (77 minutes) screens on Friday at 8:15 p.m. at Hamptons Take 2 Documentary Film Festival. For details on the film, visit shelterislandmovie.com.
The 9th Annual OLA Latino Film Festival takes place on Saturday and Sunday at the Parrish Art Museum. The film festival is organized by the Organizacion Latino-Americana of Eastern Long Island. For details, visit www.parrishart.org.
Jardin en el Mar (Mexico, 2011) screens on Sunday at 3 p.m. at OLA Latino Film Festival. For details on the film, visit www.jardinenelmar.com.
The Parrish Art Museum is located at 279 Montauk Highway, Water Mill, NY 11987. www.parrishart.org
Bay Street Theatre is located at 1 Bay Street, Sag Harbor, NY 11963. httwww.baystreet.org
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© 2012 Pat Rogers and Hamptons Art Hub. All rights reserved.