This season, we asked exhibiting artists Jenkin van Zyl and Uma Breakdown to guest curate a film club that unpacks some of the pop culture references found in their immersive installations (on display from 20 October 2023 - 28 January 2024).

Kicking off in November, Uma has chosen John Carpenter's post-apocalyptic cult action sequel Escape from L.A. and Viy, a must-see for fans of folk-horror and dark fairytales.

Jenkin presents Sydney Pollock's They Shoot Horses, Don't They?, a psychological drama about the gruelling dance marathons of the Great Depression and Gaspar Noe's psychedelic cinematic dance party, Climax.

ESCAPE FROM L.A. (1996)

Wed 29 Nov, 19:00

Set in 2013 following a catastrophic earthquake, Los Angeles is an isolated island, home to citizens who reject the strict morality laws now governing the US. Snake’s (Kurt Russell) new mission is to intercept Utopia (A.J. Langer), the daughter of the President, who holds the detonator to her dad's apocalyptic weapon which has the power to change the face of human existence forever.

This film was selected by Uma Breakdown because of the artist’s interest in “unstable stories and characters which continue beyond the author's original intent”.

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VIY (1967)

Wed 6 Dec, 19:00

Based on the horror novella by writer Nikolai Gogol, Viy tells the story of Khoma Brut (Leonid Kuravlyov), a student at a monastery in Kiev. Gogol was one of the first to use the technique of the grotesque in his writing. His early works are influenced by his Ukrainian upbringing, Ukrainian culture and Viy in particular brings together many disparate elements from folklore.

Known for its masterful cinematic effects by Soviet animator and fantasy film director Aleksandr Ptushko, the film is a “must-see for every aficionado of folk-horror and dark fairytales.” - Anne Billson, Sight & Sound.

This film was selected by artist Uma Breakdown because of their interest in Gogol’s writing style which incorporates unreliable and borrowed narratives, and Aleksandr Ptushko’s aesthetics.

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THEY SHOOT HORSES, DON'T THEY? (1969)

Wed 17 Jan, 19:00

In the midst of the Great Depression, manipulative emcee Rocky (Gig Young) enlists contestants for a dance marathon offering a $1,500 cash prize to the last couple standing. Among them are a failed actress (Jane Fonda), a middle-aged sailor (Red Beuttons), a delusional blonde (Susannah York) and a pregnant girl (Bonnie Bedelia).

Days turn into weeks as the competition drags on and people either drop out or expire. Rocky, however, will do anything for publicity and initiates a series of grueling derbies.

This film was selected for screening by artist Jenkin van Zyl because of its depiction of the gruelling dance tournaments of the Depression era.

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CLIMAX (2019)

Wed 24 Jan, 19:00

When members of a dance troupe are lured to an empty school, drug-laced sangria causes their jubilant rehearsal to descend into a dark and explosive nightmare as they try to survive the night and find out who's responsible - before it's too late. Loosely based on the true story of a French dance troupe in the 1990s, “Gaspar Noé’s cinematic dance party will blow your mind” - Gregory Ellwood, Collider.

This film was selected by artist Jenkin van Zyl because of its references to queer club culture, hallucinatory film worlds and its descent into an electrifying dance madness.

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