New Brow at the NWFF Closes Tonight

by Steve Winwood on January 17, 2010

The documentary New Brow, showing for one more night at the NWFF (7 p.m., 9 p.m.), is an enjoyable if somewhat amateurish fan letter to the Juxtapoz scene. Shot on cheap-looking digital video with tinny sound quality (or maybe it was NWFF’s system?), this series of effusive artist testimonials about why they like their own work features copious footage of their distinctive and weird paintings, short and funny cameos by the movement’s primary stars–particularly Robert Williams, hilarious and ornery as always–and brief appearances by local luminaries Kirsten Anderson of Roq La Rue, Larry Reid of Fantagraphics, and Seattle’s best porcelain weapons manufacturer Charlie Krafft.

As a documentary, New Brow could use some teeth. The “lowbrow” art movement (yeah yeah, “everyone hates that label”) came into prominence explicitly because there was a strong need for a kind of art that was more personal and craft-based. This need wasn’t met by the exclusive, ostensibly highbrow art world of the post-conceptual, Jeff Koons/Damien Hirst “fake smart” hack variety. No one from that world or any critics of the “lowbrow” type of work appear in this film to comment on the history and dynamic of these different art scenes or make any qualitative judgments about the work on display. As fun and interesting as the “lowbrow” stuff is, even Robert Williams–in an essay for Juxtapoz that I can’t find online–has voiced dissent against the stasis and cold comfort of too much kitsch and unquestioning group think. A better documentary would have shared that ethic.

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  • Alan Goodin

    I just came from viewing a film called “New Brow” at the Northwest Film Forum. I liked the documentary and the trailer that was shown on “The SunBreak I A&E I Film & TV I New Brow. I read the cometary, and agreed that the film was somewhat one sided because it did not include what “the Art establishment” had to say about the Art showcased by the film. However one artist spoke the truth and said that the New York art establishment is so bent on control and money that their strategy is to ignore the new brow scene and it will just go away.
    I believe the artists shown in the documentary will not just go away. The artists are creating an art of self expression and the integrity of their creation connects with the intrinsic integrity of the viewers who like their work. Good show!

  • Tanem

    Just to clarify, we did try interviewing some “High brow gallerist” on the Low Brow community. They just didn’t know enough and or care about it to be included in the documentary. Artist such as Jeff Koons/Damien Hirst come at an interview price that we couldn’t afford.
    We tried to get any one to say anything against this genre but couldn’t find any one willing because Its still such a new scene. Or they just didn’t know enough about it. Perhaps in 10 or 20 years when the media labels the scene or these artist become “big”.

    Also, the film is amateurish in it’s creation. I’m not afraid to admit it. But I seemed to be the only to care enough to give up my time to make it. I can tell you I did learn a lot about production value. My next films will not come across as amateur.