We acknowledge the Gadigal of the Eora Nation, the traditional custodians of the Country on which the Art Gallery of New South Wales stands.

Film series: Putting on a show 23 March – 8 June 2016

By Robert Herbert, curator, film (until June 2017)
A light skinned woman in a ballet dress and red pointe shoes dances in front of a set strewn with pieces of paper and shadows.

Still from The red shoes, 1948

The transformative power of performance

Performance, in its diverse forms, has been a fundamental human activity throughout history.

Putting on a show explores various aspects of performance through the transformative power of song, music, dance, drama and ritual.

It is the power of theatre to transport us to another reality, time and place. From rock ’n’ roll cinema to the Hollywood musical, these filmmakers exploit the theatrical imagination in order to create illusion, alter perception and reinvent the everyday. The imperatives of culture, class and gender are sometimes portrayed in confronting, subversive ways, showing them to be oppressive, dispensable or absurd – as several of these films demonstrate.

Putting on a show series screens at the Art Gallery of New South Wales from 23 March to 8 June 2016 in parallel to the 20th Biennale of Sydney. The Biennale includes Ghost Telephone, a special project, curated by Adrian Heathfield, which is a series of performances by artists devised in response to works on display at the Art Gallery.

Films

  • 23, 27 March – Singin’ in the rain (directors Stanley Donen, Gene Kelly, US, 1952, 35mm)

  • 28 March – The kids are alright (director Jeff Stein, UK, 1979, 35mm)

  • 30 March, 3 April – Cabaret (director Bob Fosse, US, 1972, 35mm)

  • 6, 10 April – Santa sangre (director Alejandro Jodorowsky, Italy/Mexico, 1989, 35mm)

  • 9 April – Rockaby (director DA Pennebaker, UK, 1982, 35mm)

  • 13, 17 April – The harder they come (director Perry Henzell, Jamaica, 1973, 35mm)

  • 20, 24 April – An American in Paris (director Vincente Minnelli, US, 1951, 35mm)

  • 23 April – Highway (director Sergei Dvortsevoy, Kazakhstan, 1999, 35mm)

  • 27 April, 1 May – Nightmare Alley (director Edmund Goulding, US, 1947, 35mm)

  • 4, 8 May – Bullets over Broadway (director Woody Allen, US, 1994, 35mm)

  • 11, 15 May – The red shoes (directors Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger, UK, 1948, 35mm)

  • 18 May – Satin rouge (director Raja Amari, Tunisia/France, 2002, 35mm)

  • 25, 29 May – Freaks (director Tod Browning, US, 1932, 35mm)

  • 1, 5 June – The wizard of Oz (director Victor Fleming, US, 1939, 35mm)

  • 8 June – Latcho drom (director Tony Gatlif, France, 1993, 35mm)

A man swinging around a lamp post in the rain with an umbrella in his hand.

Still from Singing in the rain, 1952

A man with long curly hair and light skin cups a microphone with both hands closely to his mouth.

Still from The kids are alright, 1979

A woman holds a cigarette stands in front of a mirror.

Still from Cabaret, 1972

Two people stand in front of a bonfire. The person on the left wears an elaborate headpiece and is holding their hands crossed over in front of them.

Still from Santa sangre, 1989

A woman with long hair and light skin sits on a chair.

Still from Rockaby, 1982

Two people with dark skin are sitting on a motorcycle.

Still from The harder they come, 1973

A man and a woman dancing and striking a pose on a stage. Behind them are several other dancers.

Still from An American in Paris, 1951

Three children stand on the bonnet of a truck. Above them is a cloudless sky and an eagle flies away with something in its beak.

Still from Highway, 1999

A woman with light skin and closed eyes holds her hands in front of her. Between her fingers is an electric current.

Still from Nightmare Alley, 1947

Two men slumping at a bar with beers and paperwork look at each other.

Still from Bullets over Broadway, 1994

A light skinned woman in a ballet dress and red pointe shoes dances in front of a set strewn with pieces of paper and shadows.

Still from The red shoes, 1948

A woman in a sparkling dark green top and skirt dances as people look on.

Still from Satin rouge, 2002

A person of short stature stands on top of a banquet table laden with wine bottles and glasses.

Still from Freaks, 1932

A woman in the middle of a group holding a small dog. Around her is a man a tin costume, a person dressed as a lion, and a person dressed as a scarecrow.

Still from The wizard of Oz, 1939

Four people standing shoulder to shoulder, clapping their hands.

Still from Latcho drom, 1993