ART-INSPIRED STREAMING SELECTIONS
Exit Through the Gift Shop (2010) on Amazon Prime (Sidewalk Activism)
Banksy is an anonymous street artist and political activist with a global reputation for satirical and subversive epigrams. Fiercely guarding his anonymity to avoid prosecution, Banksy has so far resisted all attempts to be captured on film. Exit Through the Gift Shop tells the true story of how a French shopkeeper turned documentary filmmaker attempted to locate and befriend Banksy, only to have the artist turn the camera back on its owner with stellar results. The film contains exclusive footage of Banksy and other infamous street artists at work, including Shepard Fairey whose work is part of Sidewalk Activism.
Velvet Buzzsaw (2019) on Netflix (Artist Alliance 2019 Biennial)
Every artist knows what a horror it can be trying to make it in the art world today. Between elusive gallery representation, submissions to prestigious art shows, reviews by haughty critics, and constant experimentation, many of OMA’s Artist Alliance artists are searching for a way to meld personal artistic fulfillment with artwork the public will love. In the satirical horror film Velvet Buzzsaw, the harshness of the path to fame begins to take its toll on the gallery owners and critics at the top.
The Dressmaker (2016) on Amazon Prime (Dress Rehearsal)
The dazzling and extravagant height of 1950’s fashion is not out of reach for residents of a small, rural Australian outback town after a woman exiled to Paris returns to confront her past. On the heels of last fall’s exhibition Dress Rehearsal, you’ll find that couture dresses take center stage in The Dressmaker, an eccentric and empowering story exploring the themes of revenge, creativity, and the many roles a dress can play in shaping personal and collective identity.
Nailed It (2019) on Vimeo (Tiny Canvases: The Art of Nails)
Nailed It takes viewers from Los Angeles to the Bronx to meet the diverse people and relationships behind booming Vietnamese nail salons and their contributions to the $8 billion-dollar American industry. For mixed-race Vietnamese filmmaker Adele Pham, it’s personal as she confronts her cultural conflicts and discovers her place within the community by peeling back the layers of this niche trade seen by everyone but known to few. Nails have been a path to artistic expression for thousands of years, evolving from a single nail color to works of art on a tiny canvas, thanks to the invention of nail enhancements and the emergence of nail artistry—a history displayed in Tiny Canvases: The Art of Nails at OMA in 2019.
The Whimsical Imagineer (2018) on Vimeo (Rolly Crump: It’s Kind of a Cute Story)
The filming of Ken Kebow’s documentary about legendary Disney Imagineer Rolly Crump coincided with OMA’s 2017 exhibition It’s Kind Of A Cute Story that highlighted the creative genius’ 65-year career as one of the most imaginative attraction creators in theme park history. Join Rolly himself, as well as Disney legend Bob Gurr, Rolly’s son and Imagineer Chris Crump, and a number of others who worked with Rolly over the years.