What makes artists tick? Eschewing stale chronology and hagiographic nostalgia, Marie Losier’s inventive documentary portraits capture their iconic subjects in the here and now. Shot on textured 16mm, these films embrace tactility and steer clear of talking heads. In the imaginative Tony Conrad: DreaMinimalist (2008), Losier observes the groundbreaking filmmaker and composer in his home. As unpredictable as Conrad’s experimental cinema, this witty short punctuates his recollections of the avant-garde scene in 1960s New York with playful skits, some of which are performed by the artist and Losier. More than a tribute made from a distance, here is an enchanting cinematic encounter between two eccentric minds.
In Alan Vega, Just a Million Dreams (2013), Losier sets her gaze on another East Village iconoclast. Once part of Suicide, a pioneering punk band famed for their electronic experimentation and raucous live performances, Vega shows a softer side to his provocateur image. Instead of the stage or the recording booth, the intimate short foregrounds the musician’s personal life as a husband and a father, in which his inimitably smoky voice becomes an instrument of care. The domestic space similarly emerges as a source of inspiration in The Ballad of Genesis and Lady Jaye (2011), Losier’s first feature-length work. The film follows the Pandrogyne project, a collaboration between Genesis P-Orridge, a pioneer of industrial music, and their partner Lady Jaye. Influenced by the cut-up technique of Dadaism, the couple use fashion, makeup, photography, and plastic surgery to transition into one shared identity. Freed from the binary of gender, the bodies become not only a common canvas, but also a declaration of eternal love. This relationship between artmaking and the body is likewise explored in Bim, Bam, Boom, Las Luchas Morenas (2013). Centering on a famous trio of wrestling sisters in Mexico, this dynamic short somersaults between private hijinks and the spectacle of the ring, showcasing the liberating possibilities of performance. Abundant with an infinite curiosity for the wild and the idiosyncratic, these lovingly crafted films celebrate free spirits everywhere.

What makes artists tick? Eschewing stale chronology and hagiographic nostalgia, Marie Losier&#8217;s inventive documentary portraits capture their iconic subjects in the here and now. Shot on textured 16mm, these films embrace tactility and steer clear of talking heads. In the imaginative Tony Conrad: DreaMinimalist (2008), Losier observes the groundbreaking filmmaker and composer in his home. As unpredictable as Conrad&#8217;s experimental cinema, this witty short punctuates his recollections of the avant-garde scene in 1960s New York with playful skits, some of which are performed by the artist and Losier. More than a tribute made from a distance, here is an enchanting cinematic encounter between two eccentric minds.
In Alan Vega, Just a Million Dreams (2013), Losier sets her gaze on another East Village iconoclast. Once part of Suicide, a pioneering punk band famed for their electronic experimentation and raucous live performances, Vega shows a softer side to his provocateur image. Instead of the stage or the recording booth, the intimate short foregrounds the musician&#8217;s personal life as a husband and a father, in which his inimitably smoky voice becomes an instrument of care. The domestic space similarly emerges as a source of inspiration in The Ballad of Genesis and Lady Jaye (2011), Losier&#8217;s first feature-length work. The film follows the Pandrogyne project, a collaboration between Genesis P-Orridge, a pioneer of industrial music, and their partner Lady Jaye. Influenced by the cut-up technique of Dadaism, the couple use fashion, makeup, photography, and plastic surgery to transition into one shared identity. Freed from the binary of gender, the bodies become not only a common canvas, but also a declaration of eternal love. This relationship between artmaking and the body is likewise explored in Bim, Bam, Boom, Las Luchas Morenas (2013). Centering on a famous trio of wrestling sisters in Mexico, this dynamic short somersaults between private hijinks and the spectacle of the ring, showcasing the liberating possibilities of performance. Abundant with an infinite curiosity for the wild and the idiosyncratic, these lovingly crafted films celebrate free spirits everywhere.

The Art Life: Films by Marie Losier

THE ART LIFE: FILMS BY MARIE LOSIER

What makes artists tick? Eschewing stale chronology and hagiographic nostalgia, Marie Losier’s imaginative documentary portraits capture their famous subjects in the here and now. From New York icons to the wrestling world of Mexico, these lovingly crafted films celebrate free spirits everywhere.

What makes artists tick? Eschewing stale chronology and hagiographic nostalgia, Marie Losier&#8217;s imaginative documentary portraits capture their famous subjects in the here and now. From New York icons to the wrestling world of Mexico, these lovingly crafted films celebrate free spirits everywhere.