THE CULTURE WAR (2023)

Overview

Crawling text complicates and explicates a multi-channel single screen street documentary of the 12/18/10 protest against the Smithsonian Institution’s censoring of the David Wojnarowicz video excerpt “A Fire In My Belly” from the “Hide/Seek” show in the National Gallery in December 2010. A posthumous Wojnarowicz comments on the political and cultural power of artist ‘s images and words as his censored video plays beneath it’s own current contretemps. Protesting artists commentating include: William Dobbs, Hyewon Yi, Peter Cramer, Ann Northrop, Carlo Quispe, Kate Huh & Jack Waters. The artwork was not reinstated by the Smithsonian, but was promptly acquired by the Museum Of Modern Art for their permanent collection as well as for immediate presentation. This assault on the arts was the first salvo in the Republican House's budget battle, which culminated in a veto-ready, vote-losing budget eliminating not only the Smithsonian, NPR and Planned Parenthood, but Medicare as well.

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