Smut
(By Jose M. Ponce ) - Should not be coincidence that the exhibition which opens next month in Madrid Bruce LaBruce should be entitled "Obscenity." Controversial and provocative, alternative and long border, the Canadian artist has often been criticized as obscene from different fronts. However, something that LaBruce has made clear is that moves like a fish in water in that kind of razor's edge that sometimes separates the hardcore art. Theirs is so personal, non-transferable and unclassifiable that it is difficult to label. Sometimes it seems independent film, in other cases is similar to gay porn, often plays with stereotypes of the queer movement themselves, there is often framed in youth cultural movements-punk, for example-but always ends up being transgressive and provocative. Hence the bad reputation and glory.
Born on a farm in Canada and named Justin Stewart, legend has it that his stage name derives from the contemptuous name for the 50 received homosexuals. Thus, "bruce" in English would be the equivalent of "fagot" in Castilian. Her professional beginnings date back to midway through the 80's, when published, along with GB Jones, DJ s fanzine, many of origin as much of the queer movement, especially that which refers to male homosexuality. His proclamations against stereotypes of punk and gay culture and pro-traditional skins would be reflected years later in "No skin off my ass", one of his most notable films.
His first short film film heirs of Kenneth Anger, Andy Warhol and Paul Morrisey, are filmed in Super 8 and dated in the late 80's, a period in which they begin to cultivate some sexual philosophies in vogue today. However, in 1993, the date on which the aforementioned "No Skin off my ass" wins at Sundance, where LaBruce achieves fame as a filmmaker valuable and committed way to becoming a cult artist. It is not surprising considering that the film, with less sex than usual, is loaded with film references (remember that he studied film at Toronto) and iconography ranging from Robert Altman to Roman Polansky, to Robert Mapplethorpe, and camp aesthetics roll punk. The film also lays down that would be the basis for his later films, deftly mixing textures with remarkable aesthetic visual findings. And also establish basic aspects of what will be his philosophy throughout the years. In contrast to the "no future" of the punk movement, he states openly that "the future is in porn." Even in his role as hairdresser and in relation to the skins, states that "this is the only hairstyle that makes sense today."
In his next movie "Super 8 ½", another reference cinephile, short retrieves the beginning to build a kind of autobiography midway between fiction and documentary. "Hustler White", "Skin Flick / Skin Gang" and "The Raspberry Reich", his next film, affect the previous line, deftly mixing explicit sex, black humor, characters and certain sexually unclassifiable dose of sadomasochism. Often the Bruce himself becomes more dramatic and exaggerated character of the function. Not surprisingly proclaims: "If you want to be in my life, you have to be in my movie."
His latest film "LA Zombie", designed in the past Sitges Film Festival, adds to its peculiar speech the bloody world of gore, which was already present in "Otto", his previous film. And with this background the good Bruce is presented in Madrid, with the help of The Fresh Gallery and in his role as photographer, offering a supposedly obscene vision of some key figures of our culture more Molona in LaBruce key. We will be there.
