JAMES BENNING: MAKING A RE-MAKE

At the occasion of James Benning solo show at Argos, Centre Pompidou starts the new season of Film with two screenings dedicated to recent works by the american artist.

The series Film is curated by Philippe-Alain Michaud with the assistance of Jonathan Pouthier and proposes an overview about the cinematic collection of Musée National d’Art Moderne, Centre Pompidou, in Paris.

19.09.2012 // 19:30
James Benning - Faces
James Benning’s "remake" of John Cassavetes’s Faces (1968) is an unexpected venture into the world of found footage filmmaking. As Benning explains, he’s reconstructed Cassavetes’s Faces in such a way that it’s comprised entirely of shots of single faces, each actor and actress is on screen as long as he or she is in the original and each scene is exactly as long as it is in the original. This reconstruction, he notes, remains steadfastly true to its title.

James Benning - Faces
2011, HD video, 135’, b&w, sound.



26.09.2012 // 19:30
James Benning - Easy Rider
The work of James Benning often establishes a dialogue with the american landscapes and it’s characterized by long plan séquence. At Centre Pompidou, Benning presents in avant première his remake of Easy Rider (2012). The scenes of the Dennis Hopper’s movie are replaced by static shoots of the same venues where Hopper filmed in 1969. In this way, James Benning reactivates the landscapes and the spectators’ memory of this cult movie.

The screening is introduced by Raymond Bellour in presence of James Benning.

James Benning - Easy Rider
2012, HD video, 95’, coulor, sound.

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