Wednesday, March 8, from 6-8pm
Shannon Plumb's Olympics - a new film based on the summer games of the Olympics. Inspired by Buster Keaton's College and Leni Riefenstahl's 1938 documentary Olympia , Plumb's sketches include the opening ceremonies and several track and field game sports. Plumb's films rely on spontaneity and character traits to investigate the possibilities of laughter in our most serious and competitive of sporting events. Through our need to achieve greatness and through the individuality of her characters, Shannon Plumb presents the humor in going for the gold. Olympics was included in the 2005 Torino Triennale (T1) "The Pantagruel Syndrome," curated by Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev and Francesco Bonami.
Friday, March 10, from 6-8pm
In collaboration with Brancolini Grimaldi Arte Contemporanea of Florence and Rome, Sara Meltzer Gallery presents screenings of recent films by Olivo Barbieri. Barbieri's site specific_ROMA 04 (04) and site specific_LAS VEGAS 05 (05) are part of a larger project related to documenting cities. Shot from a helicopter, Barbieri's films of Rome, Las Vegas, Pompeii and Shanghai, among other places, transform cities into a temporary installation, where center and suburbs, structure and infrastructure, seen from above, appear as a large scale model. Barbieri's films have been screened at the 2005 Toronto International Film Festival, the 2005 Brooklyn Film Festival and the Sundance Film Festival 2006.
The week of March 6 also marks the inauguration of Lunch at SMG. By inviting a broad range of individuals to share their work and thoughts in an informal setting, we will expand on our interest in utilizing the gallery as a forum for discussion and the exchange of ideas. The lunch series is by invitation only.