Frieze Film at Frieze Art Fair London 2015

Frieze Film at Frieze London 2015

Established in 2007, Frieze Film is a series of new films commissioned from established and emerging artists and premiered annually as part of Frieze Projects, Frieze London’s non-profit curated programme. This year, Frieze Film is curated by Nicola Lees and supported by Channel 4’s Random Acts, who will also broadcast the commissions.

The artists participating in Frieze Film 2015 are: Charles Atlas with Rashaun Mitchell + Silas Riener, Xavier Cha, Gery Georgieva and Thirteen Black Cats.

New York-based artist Xavier Cha presents a new film capturing actors’ efforts to battle conflicting emotions, held in tense states of physical and psychological discord, which offers a first look at the artist’s forthcoming solo exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland. Produced in co-operation with Museum, the film continues Xavier Cha’s exploration of the body and subjectivity.

Bulgaria-born Gery Georgieva’s film focuses on the nightclubs of her native country’s chalga (pop-folk) scene, a musical genre with a contested relationship to national tradition. By contrasting footage from these venues in Bulgaria with parallel environments elsewhere, Gery Georgieva interrogates the configuration of cultural identities.

An iconic figure at the intersection between music, performance and film, Charles Atlas debuts a new dance-based work as a preview of a major ongoing long-form project. Choreographed by duo Rashaun Mitchell + Silas Riener and filmed at Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center (EMPAC), New York, the film follows Charles Atlas’ influential, Channel 4-commissioned Hail the New Puritan (1985-6) in being specially tailored for broadcast.

Continuing the theme of collaboration, the research and production collective Thirteen Black Cats presents the first chapter of an ambitious, 56-part moving image work. Inspired by Chilean author Roberto Bolaño’s novel Antwerp (2002), the project invites filmmakers and artists worldwide to collaborate on a multi-authored film and video series.

Nicola Lees said: ‘I am very pleased to be partnering with EMPAC for the third year in a row and to continue a long-standing relationship with Random Acts, supporting Frieze Film’s aim to provide an opportunity for both established and emerging artists to engage with the challenging medium of broadcast. Together we are presenting four tremendous works that demonstrate a breadth of approaches to contemporary film-making.’

Pegah Farahmand, Editor, Random Acts, said: ‘At Channel 4 our goal has always been to showcase the world’s boldest and most thought provoking artist films, so we couldn’t have picked a more perfect partner than Frieze Film. They have consistently produced an incredibly diverse and striking collection of works, and we are proud to be a part of their movement as they push the boundaries of the form.’

Initiated in 2003, Frieze Projects is a unique non-profit commissioning platform for emerging, under-represented and innovative practices within one of the world’s leading contemporary art fairs.

Read also Frieze Projects at Frieze London Art Fair 2015

Frieze London website : http://friezelondon.com/