On the occasion of ‘Mark Bradford. You Don’t Have to Tell Me Twice’ Hauser & Wirth is pleased to present ‘Strange Victory’—a documentary film series organized by Mark Bradford in collaboration with filmmaker David Wirth.
The films selected will offer poignant insights into the lives of queer people of color spanning nearly three quarters of a century. Stemming from Bradford’s deeply personal exhibition, the program will explore the multifaceted nature of displacement and the predatory forces that feed on populations driven into motion by crisis. The selections depict the height of the AIDS epidemic, house/ballroom culture, and allude to the pervasive racist and fascist narratives that are central to the history of the United States.
This film series is free, and guests are welcome to attend all screenings.
Due to limited space, reservations are required. Please indicate which film(s) you wish to see when registering.
Please note: with the exception of screenings on Friday 19 May the exhibition will not be open during the film series.
Click here to register
Friday 12 May
7 pm
STRANGE VICTORY
Directed by Leo Hurwitz
1948
1 hr 11 min
Friday 19 May
7 pm
Exhibition will be open for the screenings
BROTHER OUTSIDER: THE LIFE OF BAYARD RUSTIN
Directed by Nancy Kates and Bennett Singer
2003
1 hr 23 min
Followed by a brief Q&A with Bayard Rustin’s partner, Walter Naegle
NON, JE NE REGRETTE RIEN (NO REGRET)
Directed by Marlon Riggs
1993
38 Mins
Wednesday 24 May
7 pm
PORTRAIT OF JASON
Directed by Shirley Clarke
1967
1 hr 45 min
Thursday 25 May
JEWEL’S CATCH ONE
Directed by C. Fitz
2016
1 hr 25 min
BLACK NATIONS/QUEER NATIONS?
Directed by Shari Frilot
1995
59 min
About Mark Bradford
Mark Bradford (b. 1961 in Los Angeles; lives and works in Los Angeles) is a contemporary artist best known for his large-scale abstract paintings created out of paper. Characterized by its layered formal, material, and conceptual complexity, Bradford’s work explores social and political structures that objectify marginalized communities and the bodies of vulnerable populations. Just as essential to Bradford’s work is a social engagement practice through which he reframes objectifying societal structures by bringing contemporary art and ideas into communities with limited access to museums and cultural institutions.
Using everyday materials and tools from the aisles of the hardware store, Bradford has created a unique artistic language. Referred to frequently as ‘social abstraction,’ Bradford’s work is rooted in his understanding that all materials and techniques are embedded with meaning that precedes their artistic utility. His signature style developed out of his early experimentation with end papers, the small, translucent tissue papers used in hairdressing; he has since experimented with other types of paper, including maps, billboards, movie posters, comic books, and ‘merchant posters’ that advertise predatory services in economically distressed neighborhoods.
