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Movie Poster Exhibit Highlights Sex, Violence, Horror, FearSo whether it's trash on steroids, or art slumming, or some combination thereof, the exhibit is vivid and sometimes lurid -- and sure to get in the viewer's face.A one-of-a-kind exhibit is opening Friday at the Anchorage Museum, courtesy of The Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh and a Portland author who has a book on posters from exploitation films. It's called “SuperTrash.” It consists of more than 200 posters from films in the genres of horror, noir, exploitation, blaxploitation and science fiction, panning from the 1930s to the 1980s. As Andy Warhol did in the 1960s, the exhibit challenges conventions about what constitutes art. Portland author Jacques Boyreau says he conceives of “SuperTrash” as much of a distinct genre as abstract expressionism or punk rock. "SuperTrash is definitely a type of an idea of like how to look at movies and look at graphic design and look at sex and look at violence and look at fear and look at joy, and it aligns them somehow." Warhol Museum Assistant Curator Greg Pierce says it's about contrasts. "It's the good and the bad, it's the beautiful and the ugly, I mean, it's all about this juxtaposition of high and low. And the fact that these all -- whether someone says why would you have this there and that there -- it's all about these things talking to each other in a way." The posters depict a few classic movies, several hits but many cult, underground and exploitation films that most Americans have never seen. The images are not subtle. They're brimming over with passionate, violence and fear. But the curators say there's more going on here than exploitation. They say it gets at the heart of the 20th century. "Because there's nothing that happened in the 20th century that movie posters have not represented," Boyreau said. “So I guess we're kind of like Kevin bacon was at six degrees of -- we're like the Kevin bacon of art, man. We're connected to everything." Although some video is included in the exhibit, and although some B movies will be screened during its two-month run, the curators say the posters stand on their own, apart from the movies they represent. "I don't say that every film in here is great, but I will argue that the poster is amazing, to advertise such a crappy film,” Pierce said. So whether it's trash on steroids, or art slumming, or some combination thereof, the exhibit is vivid and sometimes lurid -- and sure to get in the viewer's face. “SuperTrash” opens tomorrow at the Anchorage Museum, with a talk by the curators at 7 p.m.
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Paul Schifino said on Friday, Nov 4 at 1:27 PM
Congratulations, Greg and Jacques. This is a great show. I think that the stint at the Anchorage Museum will open many eyes — not only to the beauty of some of these often forgotten films... but to the beauty of the poster image. This is my favorite show from the Warhol... EVER!
76445706Jean said on Sunday, Nov 6 at 6:21 AM
The title "Super Trash" is correct. Its defiantly not art. Only in the artist warped mind.
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