By Ari Howorth
Arts Editor
After conquering the world of acting with films such as “127 Hours” and “Pineapple Express,” academy award nominee James Franco has now ventured into the world of modern art with his gallery “Rebel,” based off of the pop culture icon, James Dean.
While Franco’s interpretation of Dean’s life is fascinating, and many of the pieces are well done, much of “Rebel” is irritatingly provocative. The abundance of blood and pornography make it unclear whether the exhibit is there for artistic expression or shock value.
Put on by the Museum of Contemporary Art, “Rebel” consists of a large room, with many smaller rooms, each designed by a different artist. The majority of these include in video art of some form. The main room that leads to the others was designed by Pop Artist Ed Ruscha and includes a lot of feathers, fake blood, and sex toys.
Franco has been interested in the life of Dean since he was a child. He played Dean in a TV movie on TNT called “James Dean.” In designing “Rebel” Franco hoped to utilize the talents of artists of many different mediums to capture various aspects of Dean’s classic film “Rebel without a Cause,” as well as the different aspects that made up the culture of the 1950’s.
The most intriguing piece in the exhibit is a six minute film directed by Harmony Korine (also known for films such as “Kids” and “Trash Humpers”) entitled “Caput.” The film features Franco leading a group of women, all on bicycles to meet another gang. The two gangs proceed to strip naked and hack each other to death with Machetes in slow motion. Though it is difficult to see the relation to Dean, the piece is experimental and definitely thought provoking.
Galen Pehrson’s animated short “El Gato” is the most disturbing piece in “Rebel.” It features a cartoon duck, representing Dean, who drives two cats in his car. What follows is a shocking, psycadellic and pornographic film that contains little artistic merit. While some of the other provocative content in the exhibit is bizarre and even disturbing, there appears to be a deeper meaning to these pieces. “El Gato,” however, lacks this sense of purpose.
The final piece in the exhibit is a 93-minute film called “Henry Rebel” by Douglas Gordon that is projected on two screens in a large black room. The film features a man rolling on the ground. It seems as though he is in pain as he occasionally screams and loses articles of clothing. Though one of the more obscure pieces, it proves to be one of the most artistic. One can easily grasp the trapped feeling that Gordon is trying to convey, both due to the content of the film and the surrounding environment.
Artist Aaron Young’s “Grapevine” feels most closely associated with Dean and the 1950’s. It is a one minute video of a car falling through the Earth. It is projected on a screen above a pool with a motorcycle submerged in it. The car is blatently symbolic of Dean’s untimely death in a car crash and the motorcycle is a statement about culture in the 50’s. It is presented uniquely and though it is the only exhibit with no portrayal of an organic life, it succeeds in evoking strong emotional reactions.
“Rebel” is a unique experience that is both toubling and entertaining. The connection to James Dean is not always clear, yet almost all of the pieces are impactful and thought-provoking.
“Rebel” is free and is open to the public until June 23. Rebel is open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 11am to 5 pm at the Los Angeles MOCA.
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