A R C H I E F1 9 9 6  
.14
  Paul McCarthy & Mike Kelley
Fresh Acconci
  USA 1995
Videotape, 44:36, colour, mono
At the start of the seventies, at the time of concept art and body art, the American Vito Acconci made videos and performances in which the body and ‘I’ were central. McCarthy and Kelley cast a fresh and up-to-date light on Acconci’s work, which since long has been committed to the annals of the history of art. They based their video on Acconci’s ‘Claim Excerpts’, ‘Contacts’, ‘Theme Song’ and ‘Focal Points’. Those who know Acconci’s work will be amused now and then by the ironic twist that Kelley and McCarthy give to it. But ‘Fresh Acconci’ is much more than a parody. The tape consists of a large number of loose scenes which take place in a large villa. In each scene appear one or more naked characters who constantly try to make contact with each other, who try to seduce an out of shot person, or attempt to protect themselves and the space around them. All their efforts are, however, to no avail. These tenacious attempts to make contact or preserve isolation lead them nowhere. This leads to the movements and expressions becoming spastic and autistic, and the atmosphere becomes unpleasant and alarming. The isolation of each character is total. The attempt at eroticism runs into absolute impotence. As if you are watching a De Sade group where potency of the participants is completely bloated and distorted.

Jorinde Seijdel

Camera Ken Marcus, Jeffry Hill, Light Leonard Kuperstein, Jeffrey Dean Zawitkoski, make-up Lee Garland, With Nacy Paradis, André Paradis, Joie Shettler, Roosevelt Flendury, Heather Kennedy, Jessica Vallot, Thanks to Rosamund Felsen, Grant Mudford, Production Steve Cioffi, Scott Hopper


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