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| Elba Benítez
Gallery presents a selection of works by the Russian filmmaker
Alexander Sokurov (1951) as part
of PhotoEspaña’03.
The films included in the gallery program will be screened at a
mini-cine specially designed for the occasion by the architect Eduardo
Arroyo* Three particularly brilliant, poetic pieces
will be shown: Elegy of a Voyage 2001, Dolce, 1999 and Confession,
1998. This program is complemented by two seasons organized by the
Filmoteca
Española:: “Homenaje a
Alexander Sokurov” and “Cine y pintura”*.
Heir to Tarkovski's cinematic legacy, Sokurov has written and directed 23 documentaries and 11 films. His work enjoys great acclaim worldwide and he has been awarded numerous prizes including, most recently, the International Critics Prize at the Cannes Film Festival 2003, for his latest film Father and Son. He is also one of the leading filmmakers on the contemporary art circuit. His film Mother and Son was selected by Catherine David for the Documenta X in 1997; the Jeu de Paume in Paris, organized an exhibition about his documentary film works in summer 2001 and some of films form part of the permanent collections of museums such as the MOMA in New York and the MACBA in Barcelona. Magazines specializing in contemporary art have paid particular attention to his work and to his creative personality. One of the most distinctive features of Sokurov's films is their powerfully artistic approach. They are full of allusions and references to the history of art both in the way the images are composed and in the treatment of their stories. These films reveal a creative mind paying a highly personal tribute to its sources of inspiration. Sokurov assembles his personal representation of the world from elements more often found in painting, such as subtle fluctuations of colour which range from an almost over-exposed black and white, to monochromatic variations, repeatedly evoking other periods of art history. His work is on the borderline between two film genres: documentary and fiction. Along this controversial borderline, Sokurov's films employ complex, haunting images to build metaphors from real events. His approach is dominated by a powerful sense of the inevitability of destiny and by his fascination about the marks left by fate on the emotional integrity of people. Practically all of his characters are trapped in emotional labyrinths from which there is no escape. Sokurov's personal touch is noticeable in his frequent use of monologues, in which his own soft, warm and melancholy voice tinges the images with sadness and furnishes the films with a distinct introspective quality. Elegy of a Voyage, 2001, 47 min. Original format: video Elegy of a Voyage is one of Sokurov's poetic elegies. In this piece, the camera follows Sokurov's figure on a long voyage of discovery that leads from Saint Petersburg to the painting St. Mary Square, by Pieter Saenreman, 1662, located at the Boijmans Museum in Rotterdam. It is a real and lyrical voyage, of painted and filmed nuances, of human and artistic encounters. The piece is shrouded in a misty layer which makes each movement of the camera flow seamlessly into the next creating a dreamlike, fluid atmosphere. Sokurov brings art and life together in an exploration of the real fate of Man. Dolce, 1999, 60 min. Original format: video Dolce is a song of mourning for the separation and death of loved ones. The story is about Mikho, widow of the writer Toshio Shimao, who describes her suffering for the loss of her mother. This moving film is structured in extremely slow shots, featuring poignant images that echo Flemish painting and 19th century Japanese prints. Confession, 1998, 218 min. Original format: video This poetic diary, made before the “Koursk” submarine tragedy occurred and based on the confessions of a Russian Naval Commander, is one of Sokurov's most disturbing and majestic films. Structured in five episodes, each of the same length, Confession traces the sea voyage in parallel to the inner journey of the ship's captain, comparing the captain's personal fate with that of his country, Russia. The winter scenery, the routine of work on board, the confinement of the ship's crew below decks, confer a strange beauty to this sometimes oppressively monotonous and repetitive film. Elba Benítez Gallery will be selling a DVD, available for the first time in Spain, of Sokurov's trilogy The Military Series (Confession, 1998, Spiritual Voices, 1995 and A Soldier's Dream, 1995), in a limited edition signed by the director. Press release: Angela Martín-Retortillo
Opening: 5 June at 20.30 Program of screenings from 6 June to
26 July Afternoon: For more information contact: Elba Benítez Gallery.
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