Notes from Underground - An Art Bulletin

article and photos by zara nneka

Saul Adamczewski at TONY Bar - 28/01

I saw Saul Adamczewski live for the first time in October of last year - he performed a DJ set for the 10-year anniversary event of Pigalle Country Club, hosted at Supersonic. To date, it’s still one of the best sets I’ve ever been to. From tracks by Laibach to hardcore gabber, it was truly an assault on the senses. The pinnacle of the show was watching Saul brazenly crawl up the mounted “Supersonic'' sign - a refreshing sight - sometimes the gigs there are too tame. This time around Saul opted for a performance of acoustic strumming supported by David Siink at TONY bar as part of their POP DARK series. Catch Saul in Paris again next month, on March 11, at ‘SASASA’ - a group performance of “crude art display and musical exhibition”, with Sascha Utech and Samuel Ebner. He, along with Alex White, co-scored “The Dream Machine” by Paris-based photographer Michael William West. It’s a brilliant experimental film and available to watch here.

Futur Anterieur #26 - Klonaris/Thomadaki at Cinema L’Archipel - 30/01

“Futur Anterieur” is a monthly event hosted by Re:Voir video in collaboration with Cinema L’Archipel, where DVD and VOD releases by Re:Voir are screened at the theatre. The 26th edition of Futur Anterieur was hosted in tandem with the release of Double Labyrinth, a DVD featuring a series of films by artist-filmmaker duo Maria Klonaris/Katerina Thomadaki. The Greek artists met in Athens in the 1970s and what followed were performances, sound pieces, installations, theoretical writing, and, of course, films. Thomadaki herself was present at the event, beginning her talk by giving a touching tribute to the late Klonaris.

Two of the films shown were screened for the first time ever: a world premiere. My favourite from the screening was Unheimlich III: The Mothers (1981), a 55-minute colour film shot on Super 8 format. Klonaris, Thomadaki, and the filmmaker’s friends Elia Akrivou and Antonias Dimolitsa (who were also present at the screening) star in the film. In ‘Unheimlich’ (unhomely), the women appear to haunt a house in ruin, clad in black dresses and painted faces. The film explores the familiarity, and unfamiliarity, of a home once lived in, in the oppressive heat of the filmmakers’ native Greece in August. After the screening, I was ecstatic to meet Thomadaki in the reception area of L’Archipel, where she signed my bought copy of Double Labyrinth. It is available in-store and online from Re:Voir.

Darja Bajagić at New Galerie - 08/02

“As an artist, I want to see everything. Whatever negative feelings my research may elicit I welcome. It’s a small sacrifice in pursuit of truth. Violent images matter. We must force ourselves to see. We are not bloodless. Violent images are not dangerous, but what is is the overwhelming effort to sanitise, delete our access to an unvarnished reality. For the “righteous,” sinking in denial and their perverse wish to protect their untarnished eyes and minds, how can you refuse to acknowledge a mere representation of a horrific event while others are forced to live through the horrific event itself?” - Bajagić in conversation with i-D magazine, 2018

Darja Bajagić is one of my favourite contemporary artists. Pagan symbols, pornstars and blood are only some of the recurring motifs in her pieces, confronting onlookers with explicit sexuality and violence. Often using photos of real victims of crime, almost always young women - Bajagić’s work forces the viewer to confront what is upsetting and unsettling. As i-D once put it, her work is “difficult to look at and difficult to look away from”… this is exactly how I felt when I first saw her piece Ultimate Reality (2019). The “X” is still imprinted in my mind as if it were engraved on my forehead by a member of the Manson family. Ultimate Reality (2019) is on display as part of Everybody is a Complete Disappointment, an ongoing group exhibition at New Galerie in the 3rd arrondissement.

*Ultimate Reality (*2019), acrylic and UV print on canvas

*Ultimate Reality* (2019), seen through Hoël Duret’s *Deflect* #5 (2022)

Who You Staring At? Visual culture of the No Wave scene in the 1970s and 1980s at the Centre Pompidou - 01/02

Curated by Nicolas Ballet, Who You Staring At? is an ongoing exhibition taking a look at the visual culture of the No Wave scene of the 70s and 80s. The opening night of the exhibition saw a live performance by Rhys Chatham. You’ll find films on display by no wave filmmakers like Vivienne Dick - Guerillere Talks (1978) profiles various women of the no wave scene, including Lydia Lunch, Anya Phillips and Pat Place. Also featured in the exhibition is a plethora of original No Wave posters, books and records, such as compilation album No New York curated by Brian Eno. Largely projected at the back of the room is a short Super 8 film by Beth & Scott B - Letters to Dad (1979) - where contemporaries of Beth and Scott read out letters written by members of The People’s Temple cult to Jim Jones before their mass suicide. The exhibition is on the 4th floor of the permanent collection of the Pompidou, in the Film, Video, Sound and Digital Collections consultation room, and is open until May 1. If you don’t want to miss another event in relation to the exhibition, catch XS: The Opera Opus (1984-86), a no wave opera by Rhys Chatham and Joseph Nechtaval also hosted at the Pompidou on March 8.

No Wave books and paraphernalia at *Who You Staring At?* February 2023.

Guests leaving after Rhys Chatham’s performance. February 2023.

Spectator at *Who You Staring At?* February 2023.

Still from *Letters to Dad* (1979) by Beth and Scott B. February 2023.

Vidéo et après - Sex, Power and Control - The Art of Beth B in conversation with Nicolas Ballet at the Centre Pompidou - 08/02

In tandem with the exhibition Who You Staring At? underground and No Wave filmmaker Beth B joined Nicolas Ballet for one of the Pompidou's “Vidéo et après” sessions. Beth is a radiant character and reflected on her time in the No Wave scene with joy, noting that no wave “continues today”, and that we are living in a “Now Wave”. The filmmaker talked about her experiences beginning filmmaking, and the various sources of inspiration for her films. In her work, the filmmaker sought to break boundaries and speak about societal taboos - mental illness and the act of labelling people as “monsters”, the possibility of violence permeating any household, emotional misfits and those who are considered “outsiders”. She also noted how integral music is to her films and the importance of working in a hybrid, anti-specialist manner.

A number of her short films were screened, including a new personal favourite, Black Box (1979). The film follows a gorgeous blond get kidnapped off the streets and subjected to torture by a sadistic, uniform-clad Lydia Lunch. The torture device in question is the titular “black box” - inspired by a torture device called “the refrigerator”, manufactured in Houston, Texas, and shipped abroad when bought by other countries to use on their political prisoners. The film subverts expectations of people who torture - usually men - by casting a woman in the role, and highlights a type of violence that is somehow both so explicitly yet discreetly American. Beth recounted how the various nightclubs of New York screened Black Box, as no museum or theatre would screen the film. Another favourite of mine was Hysteria, a short film documenting Beth B’s London exhibition of the same name, from London’s Hayward gallery in 2001.

Nicolas Ballet and Beth B, February 2023.

The War is Never Over at Cinema L’Archipel - 09/02

Another event related to the Who You Staring At? exhibition, also hosted at Cinema L’Archipel, was a screening of Beth B’s outstanding documentary on Lydia Lunch, The War is Never Over (2019). The documentary covers Lydia’s life and career from birth until today - her experiences with childhood abuse, the influence of the 1960s and growing up with race riots at her doorstep, her arrival in New York. A good amount of the film is spent exploring her artistic process and current musical exploits, while supported by Weasel Walter, Tim Dahl and Kevin Shea. At the end of the screening, Beth B was present again to talk about her experience meeting and working with Lydia and took questions from the audience.

Who You Staring At? B-side! Vernissage at The Film Gallery - 10/02

The final event in relation to Who You Staring At? is Who You Staring At? B-side! A small exhibition at The Film Gallery. Three short films by Beth B - Belladonna (1989), Thanatopsis (1991), and a music video for Dominatrix, The Dominatrix Sleeps Tonight (1984) are on display, as well as a collection of no wave records and flyers from the collection of Raphaël Maze. The exhibition is on display until March 4.

No Wave records and flyers at The Film Gallery, February 2023.

No Wave records at The Film Gallery, February 2023.

arts, film, fine arts, life, musicDÉPAYSANTS Magazine .February 21, 2023arts, art, music, museums, cultureComment