On March 21, "Wild Gene", a documentary about Belgian artist Koen Vanmechelen, will be shown at the Festival International du Film sur L’Art (FIFA). For no less than six years, documentary filmmaker Joris Gijsen followed the artist on his work trips around the globe.
Image: Koen Vanmechelen, image courtesy to the artist
On March 21, "Wild Gene", a documentary about Belgian artist Koen Vanmechelen, will be shown at the Festival International du Film sur L’Art (FIFA). For no less than six years, documentary filmmaker Joris Gijsen followed the artist on his work trips around the globe.
Koen Vanmechelen, image courtesy to the artist
Koen Vanmechelen is one of the most prominent Belgian artists of the last decade. Typically, the philosophy behind his works constantly propels him across almost all continents. He leaves behind a multitude of projects and works that are all linked and that come together in LABIOMISTA, Vanmechelen's new studio in Genk.
In his 70-minute documentary, Gijsen, who is also known for his documentary about Triggerfinger, reveals what drives the relentless energy and the many encounters of the artist. In "Wild Gene" Gijsen follows the artist from 2013 during many exhibitions and projects. From his remarkable participation in the Havana Biennial in Cuba to the realization of his total artwork LABIOMISTA in Genk. And in between the Biennale of Venice, the expo in Lisson Gallery London and his projects with Masai in Tanzania and Chido Govera in Zimbabwe. The images are supplemented with unique archive material about Vanmechelen's search for the original chicken, the red junglefowl, in Nepal and India.
In this way, Gijsen captures the never-ending fire of the shaman artist. The common thread is the animals that continue to fascinate Vanmechelen; the DNA of his animal crossings as a living word of the great performance that life is. Gijsen draws Vanmechelen as a link, seeker and guide. As an outsider and wild gene. As Vanmechelen puts it himself: "When an egg bursts on cracks that keeps looking for the perfect birthplace."
"Wild Gene" gives more than a glimpse behind the scenes of centipede Vanmechelen. It reveals how the artist is constantly broadening his philosophical foundation through remarkable contacts with scientists such as Jean-Jacques Cassiman, architect Mario Botta, international curators, thinkers, and indigenous peoples.
The documentary was created in collaboration with producer Bart Van Langendonck (Rundskop) from Savage Film. Poltrock composed the original music.
Anna Melnykova, "Palace of Labor (palats praci), architector I. Pretro, 1916", shot with analog Canon camera, 35 mm Fuji film in March 2022.
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