Gawan Fagard in dialogue with Philippe Pirotte

Artists: Julia Thikonova, Rusam Khalfin, Ruxandra Medrea, Serge Bromberg and Yang Fudong

First Spring
Yang Fudong
China, 2010. HD Video. 10 min.
Silent film

In this enigmatic short film, China’s most celebrated video artist Yang Fudong explores the nature of elegance and desire in the setting of bygone Shanghai on the cusp of modernity. Produced for Prada, the film balances constantly between a commercial video and a visual reverie.

Northern Barbarians, part 2: Love Races
Rusam Khalfin and Julia Thikonova
Kazakhstan, 2000. Video. 7 min.
Silent film, on loan from Museum of Contemporary Art Antwerp (M HKA)

Love Races is a short experimental film exploring the poetics of love and eroticism. The film is based on watercolour drawings from Northern China depicting ancient love practices of “Northern Barbarians” as the Chinese used to call the Kazakh nomads.

L'enfer d'Henri-Georges Clouzot
Serge Bromberg and Ruxandra Medrea
France, 1964/2009. 35 mm. 102 min.
OV French, ST English

In 1964, Henri-Georges Clouzot chose Romy Schneider and Serge Reggiani, as the lead actors of L’enfer (Inferno). This enigmatic and original project – about a hotel manager who becomes possessed by the demons of jealousy – was given an unlimited budget and touted to be the cinematographic event of the decade. However, three weeks into filming, drama unfolds and the project aborted. The images, said to be incredible, were never shown. Decades later, having uncovered some of the original rushes and screen tests, directors Serge Bromberg and Ruxandra Medrea have succeeded in recreating a new film from the remnants and brought it to fruition. Part original, part documentary and part reconstruction, it shows Clouzot’s L’enfer as it was shot, and tells the emotional story of an ill-fated film project and of Henri-Georges Clouzot, who had been given free reign to his filmmaking genius.

Language English