Berlin-based film historian and critic Marc Glöde, known in the art world for his work as a curator and senior advisor of Art Berlin Contemporary, has curated the Film section at Art Basel since 2008. He is interested in filmic works that take an experimental approach to the moving image, and in his selection this year, featuring artists like Jan Peter Hammer, he is focusing particularly on socially engaged works. He spoke to Artinfo about his approach and process as a curator, and what excites him about his chosen medium.
You’ve curated this section in cooperation with Swiss collector This Brunner. How do you work together and what was your selection process like?
We always work in very separate areas of film. This year, This Brunner is curating a program that focuses on documentary and art-house films; I'm working largely with experimental works.
As for the process — first galleries exhibiting in the show submit applications, which I then go through. Based on this, I put together programs that have (A) a certain theme, like this year’s program "Thinking About the Aftermaths," which deals with questions concerning different historic nuclear fallouts, or (B) a focus on a body of work by one artist, such as this year’s programs on Harun Farocki, Manon de Boer, and Pat O'Neill.
You’ve highlighted three artists on the Website — Manon de Boer, Jan Peter Hammer and the Brazilian duo João Maria Gusmão and Pedro Paiva. Why do you think visitors should definitely see their movies? What makes their works so special to you?
I'm very excited that Film this year is opening with a program of works by Jan Peter Hammer, including his film “The Anarchist Banker.” As you can guess from the title, it considers aspects of the financial crisis. Using this work as a starting point is important to me; it demonstrates how even as a platform for market activity, Art Basel is committed to including films that raise critical questions concerning developments in society.
You’ve curated short films for the fair with Hammer. How did you meet him and why did you bring him to the fair?
As I mentioned, this film was very important for the whole program. Until now I have not had the chance to meet Jan in person, which is why I am all the more excited to meet him in Basel this year and talk about his newest films, as well as about the criticality in his work.
Jan Peter Hammer and Marc Glöde
Are you also interested in other mediums, like painting, sculpture or photography?
Of course! I have also curated exhibitions that were not film related at all, such as a first European overview exhibition on the history of slide projection in the arts in Knokke, Belgium. Recently I curated a series of exhibitions called, “(Re-)Locating the Self,” including site specific installation works by Channa Horwitz, Carl Andre, Lawrence Weiner, Peter Downsbrough, Bettina Khano and others. And in July, I will be curating an exhibition of the San Francisco based conceptual artist Tom Marioni, called “Actions (1969-2014),” in Berlin.
Why is film your favorite medium?
Film has always fascinated me, specifically in the context of other art forms. And it's been interesting for me to see how film has become a very prominent medium for expressing the ideas for more and more artists. You can see that in the increasing number of works with moving images at every biennale worldwide, in the growing number of applications for the film program at Art Basel every year, and in the increased number of film-based works within Art Basel’s Unlimited sector.
What are your personal top five artist’s films?
I don't have that kind of list; there are just too many amazing films that I adore for very different reasons and it would not feel right to compare these incomparable works in a list.
