New forms of presentation on the frontiers of cinematography and fine arts

EYE Film Institute Netherlands, Amsterdam

MúzeumCafé 36.

A striking new museum and the current star of classical modern arts definitely make for a good combination. Since it opened last year, EYE Film Institute Netherlands has quickly generated international attention. The institute’s third exhibition of 2012 featured the abstract films, paintings and technical experiments of Oskar Fischinger, who is clearly being rediscovered. Last year the Whitney Museum in New York staged Oskar Fischinger: Space Light Art – A Film Environment, up to May this year the installation Space Light Art / Raumlichtkunst could be seen at the Tate Modern. The Fischinger Trust has distributed 16mm prints of the films for many decades across Europe, through their distributor Light Cone in Paris. The 35mm retrospective film program touring the world, and the Fischinger DVD (as well as the restorations) are all the productions of Center for Visual Music. In the future a presentation of Fischinger’s films organized by Center for Visual Music at upcoming European museums (right now in Oskar Fischinger: Raumlichtkunst is in Paris, at Palais de Tokyo through till September 9), will be displayed. Fischinger worked on the frontier of fine arts, cinematography and new technological developments, though his output did not captivate contemporary institutions for quite some time. As is customary, analysis of the legacy, the rich archives and the research didn’t occur immediately after the artist’s death. It was actually five decades after his death that there was the opportunity to view his works in their entirety, in physical reality. The exhibition was co-organized by EYE and Center for Visual Music, Los Angeles.  It was co-curated by Jaap Guldemond, EYE, and Cindy Keefer, Center for Visual Music, Los Angeles.