SCREAM: 10 artists x 10 writers x 10 scary movies: Curated by Fernanda Arruda and Michael Clifton

SCREAM addresses a diversity of horrors influencing today’s contemporary artists – from Slasher films and Halloween traditions to the howl of Black Metal.

Matt Greene, Banks Violette and Bjarne Melgaard comb the dark landscapes of Goth, Black Metal and Sadomasochism to frame present-day horrors. For David Altmejd and Dora Longo Bahia, dread resides in the reification of things past as Werewolf heads and ghostly shadows occupy sculpture and photograph. Social rituals and the ornamental kitsch of Halloween provide fodder for Cameron Jamie and Amy Sarkisian.

Several artists draw upon particular moments and filmic devices common to the horror movie genre. Sue de Beer, Banks Violette and Michael Wetzel share an interest in how these filmmakers employ lighting, special effects and/or storyline to create unease in viewers. Not unlike Slasher film directors who conjure fear through self-contradiction, Brock Enright relies on “misunderstanding of image and information” to fabricate terror in his ongoing ‘extreme kidnapping’ project.

Additionally, we invited 10 of our favorite writers to contribute essays on the participating artists. Their texts, along with abbreviated artist biographies and artwork images supplied by the artists, accompany the exhibition in the guise of a catalog mock-up. In this respect, Scream exists a scab on the curatorial framework of Cream projects by Phaidon; a crusty, ephemeral supplement.

Lastly, instead of taking stabs at an artist’s practice by inscribing ‘source artist’ relationships, we asked them to select scary movies as a way to contextualize their individual ties to horror. A mute discussion carries out on screen after the gallery closes.

10 Artists:  David Altmejd, Dora Longo Bahia, Sue de Beer, Brock Enright, Matt Greene, Cameron Jamie, Bjarne Melgaard, Amy Sarkisian, Banks Violette, Michael Wetzel

10 Writers: Alissa Bennett, Johanna Burton, Chivas Clem, Meghan Dailey, Massimiliano Gioni, Jens Hoffmann, Brooke Minto, Brian Sholis, Ali Subotnick and Liz Thomas.

10 Scary Movies: Eyes Without a Face  (Michael Wetzel); Ginger Snaps  (Sue de Beer); Irreversible (Bjarne Melgaard); Martin (Banks Violette); Midnight I Will Take Your Soul (Dora Longo Bahia); Phantasm (Matt Greene); Phantom of the Opera  (Amy Sarkisian); Possession (David Altmejd); Thundercrack! (Cameron Jamie); Trouble Every Day (Brock Enright).