The work of Portland, OR, video artist Vanessa Renwick is showcased in this compilation of over 20 of her films. Some repurpose old footage--such as Red Stallions Revenge, a shortened version of a 1940s Western, or Britton, South Dakota, featuring a montage of children photographed in the titular town in 1938. Others are evocative depictions of particular places, like the three examples from Renwick’s "Portraits" series included here (one concerning the destruction of a nuclear plant cooling tower). Also featured are fairly conventional portraits of eccentrics, such as Richart, a profile of Richard Tracy, who has filled several lots with his curious artwork, or Satan’s Holiday, about a self-styled priest who exhibits his collection of items that includes human skulls. These contrast with more experimental films, such as one simply showing a woman bicycling down deserted streets, first clothed and then nude; or a quite explicit, deliberately gritty record of a home childbirth; or a vignette called Crowdog, in which a woman’s monologue about going a couple of years without wearing shoes segues into a recollection about a trip to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. These are highly personal pieces that will likely spark mixed reactions (some viewers may emulate the succession of faces in Renwick’s Yawn), but the compilation does offer a comprehensive sample of a modern American artist’s work. A strong optional purchase. Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)
NSEW
(2016) 180 min. DVD: $25: individuals; $300: institutions. Vanessa Renwick (avail. from www.odoka.org). PPR. Volume 33, Issue 3
NSEW
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