The Museum of Modern Art is recognizing the work of French artist and experimental filmmaker Marie Losier. From November 1-11 the museum will host “Marie Losier: Just A Million Dreams,” a mid-career retrospective of the director-writer-editor-cinematographer’s catalogue, including two features and many shorts.
Losier’s two feature documentaries are “Cassandro, the Exotico!”, a portrait of a gender-bending Mexican wrestler, and “The Ballad of Genesis and Lady Jaye,” which follows artists and spouses Genesis Breyer P-Orridge and Lady Jaye as they work on a project. The former premiered earlier this year in Cannes’ ACID section.
The filmmaker’s shorts include “Slap! The Gondola,” a musical tale about mermaids, “Bim, Bam, Boom: Las Luchas Morenas,” a doc about a female wrestling dynasty, and “Manuelle Labor,” a surreal tribute to filmmaker Guy Maddin. Losier has also shot and edited many of her films.
“Just A Million Dreams” is also a celebration of the addition of 19 of Losier’s films to the MoMA’s collection.
Losier has lived in New York since 1994. After she arrived she studied painting and embarked on influential collaborations with playwright and theater pioneer Richard Foreman and filmmaker Mike Kuchar. These artistic partnerships strengthened “her boundless urge to create art with others through films that channel the unfettered spirit of artistic creation,” according to a press release.
“Replete with physical comedy reminiscent of silent cinema and campy fantasy in the tradition of Jack Smith, Losier’s cinema is, above all, rooted in performance,” MoMA states. “Losier’s highly personal body of work, ranging from intimate portraits to rollicking performance films with costumes and sets created by the artist, music videos, and genre-inflected narratives, is unified by her intuitive attention to rhythm and handmade compositions.”
“Marie Losier: Just A Million Dreams” will be held at the MoMA’s Roy and Niuta Titus Theaters. Head over to the museum’s website for more information.