Home
Talks
1 Minute 1 Work: Beautiful People
1 Minute 1 Work: Beautiful People
David Wojnarowicz believed that drag queens are 'true revolutionaries' who colourfully disrupt the 'visual codes of gender.' A provocative figure in the New York City art world of the 1980s, Wojnarowicz was a painter, photographer, writer, filmmaker, performance artist and activist.
Curator Vincent Honoré narrates the unfolding of Wojnarowicz' final film Beautiful People (1988). The film, made in collaboration with Jesse Hultberg, follows Hultberg as he makes himself up, leaves the city and disappears, fully clothed, into a lake, the world erupting into technicolour as he does so. Honoré recognises the beauty and socio-political significance of this work, made 'at the climax of the aids crisis'.
Time Period:
20th century
Themes:
Vincent Honoré is Director of Exhibitions and Programmes at MoCo Montpellier Contemporain. In 2019, he guest curated the critically acclaimed Kiss My Genders exhibition at the Hayward Gallery, with Hayward Gallery Assistant Curator Tarini Malik and Curatorial Assistant Thomas Sutton. Honoré was also the curator of the Republic of Kosovo Pavilion for the 58th edition of the Venice International Art Biennial.
Honoré was a curator at Palais de Tokyo in Paris (2001-2004) and at Tate Modern in London (2004-2007), where he developed exhibitions and projects with Carol Bove, Pierre Huyghe, Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster, Jeff Wall, Louise Bourgeois, Hans Haacke, and Catherine Sullivan, among others. In 2008, Honoré became the founding director and chief curator of DRAF (David Roberts Art Foundation) in London that he conceived as a factory of prototypes structured around research, production, and performativity. He has curated solo exhibitions of Oscar Tuazon, Keren Cytter, Neil Beloufa and Rosemarie Trockel, while Pierre Huyghe, Laure Prouvost, Rodney Graham, Sarah Lucas and John Bock have presented performances and live events. In 2011, Honoré co-founded Drawing Room Confessions, a series of books dedicated to one artist per issue, based on conversations and words only. He is a frequent contributor to Mousse Magazine and Cura Magazine and had been commissioned a number of texts for catalogues and books for Pierre Huyghe, Sarah Lucas, Bruce McLean, Bethan Huws, Daniel Buren, Nina Beier, and other artists.
Watch More
Watch More
14:17
Omar Victor Diop: Black Subjects in the Frame
‘What gets remembered and what doesn’t?’ Mark Sealy examines searing moments in Black history through the lens of Omar Victor Diop’s powerful portraits.
9:21
Under the Gaze: The Art of Cindy Sherman
Hal Foster discusses how the self-portraits of artist Cindy Sherman presaged the selfie culture of our times.
1:05:29
The Romance of Bricks
An intimate 65-minute portrait of the artist Liz Finch by filmmaker Nichola Bruce.
14:17
Omar Victor Diop: Black Subjects in the Frame
‘What gets remembered and what doesn’t?’ Mark Sealy examines searing moments in Black history through the lens of Omar Victor Diop’s powerful portraits.
9:21
Under the Gaze: The Art of Cindy Sherman
Hal Foster discusses how the self-portraits of artist Cindy Sherman presaged the selfie culture of our times.
1:05:29
The Romance of Bricks
An intimate 65-minute portrait of the artist Liz Finch by filmmaker Nichola Bruce.
1:06
1 Minute 1 Work: Palingenesis, 1971
A sensuous vision of kelly green and hot pink, take a closer look at Lee Krasner's Palingenesis (1971).
11:49
Reflecting on Gerhard Richter
An exploration of the processes of leading artist Gerhard Richter as presented through his glass sculptures and paintings.
7:24
The Art of Liu Xiaodong: Man and Machine
Liu Xiaodong discusses how conflict and urban change influenced his radical new painting method.