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Simon Hare's avatar

I was lucky enough to see Eraserhead on first release, at an 'arthouse' cinema, here in Sydney. It opened my mind to cinema possibilities & began my inspiration & passion for this artform. A few years later I joined the first cohort in Film Theory & Criticism at Sydney University's intriguingly named 'Power Institute of Fine Arts'.

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Clint Collide's avatar

Very cool! The film classes I took in college gave a cursory look at his work, but preferred to focus on older work that had more historical context. So I was left to explore what I could find. Eraserhead and Elephant Man freaked me out then, but they helped me see film as a truly artistic medium. Which I knew, but didn't appreciate until I started seeing work I didn't fully understand...or even like. :-p

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Simon Hare's avatar

Reckon you'll appreciate Stupid As A Painter

https://www.roslynoxley9.com.au/exhibition/stupid-as-a-painter-4th-biennale-of/vrfqq

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Clint Collide's avatar

WOWтАжI definitely appreciate that painting. Epic! Wish I could see it in person. Cheers!

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Simon Hare's avatar

There was some kind of bequest (?) from a family named Power... Same bunch also had a hand in establishing our the Museum of Contemporary Art at Circular Quay in Sydney.

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Simon Hare's avatar

The Power Institute gallery was first to exhibit Juan Davila's STUPID AS A PAINTER (? 1983) which was shut down by nsw morality police. Later exhibited to wide acclaimbЁЯСНЁЯП┐ЁЯШОЁЯШШ

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Clint Collide's avatar

Thanks for the share, Simon. Reminds me of all the hoopla here in the US in the late 1980s and early 1990s about National Endowment Of The Arts funding several LGTBQ artists and photographers. Clutch-the-pearls religious zealots annoy the hell out me. But they did help me find some work I wouldnтАЩt have known about if they hadnтАЩt popped off. Love how that works. Same happened in Germany when Hitler did his тАЬdegenerateтАЭ art exhibition. 2+ million people flocked to see it. Not all to mock it. :-)

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