The New Orleans Film Festival is in full swing, but even more film events abound in the city, in particular Fighting Weight, a gallery exhibition of films by Kevin Jerome Everson presented by PARSE NOLA and curated by Maaike Gouwenberg.
The exhibition explains that the films of Kevin Jerome Everson “not only deal with the social and political realities of working class African-American life, they also dive into the materiality of the film medium, and narrative structures.” He a prolific, widely shown and awarded filmmaker whose camera trains on a huge array of often everyday subjects. He often shoots on 16mm film with minimal editing; many of his films have a matter-of-fact feel and rhythm that belies their complexity. They offer documentary glimpses into the Black American experience, while offering multifaceted challenges to the viewer to grapple with them on any and all terms.
The curator Greg de Cuir Jr, in an essential piece for another exhibition centered on Everson’s films, says this: “His cinema makes visible that which is hidden; it searches for the fleeting moment when necessity meets coincidence, in the artist’s own words.” (De Cuir’s piece is worth reading in full, suggesting with deep insight the full scope of Everson’s work.)
In Everson’s large body of work, patterns and exceptions are everywhere, lending each piece – even made up of a single roll of film – a strong essence. This unusual two-projector installation gives an opportunity to see many of his works in conversation with each other. For those interested in our Full Aperture program, Everson’s films are essential viewing.
Everson will be in attendance at the gallery on Friday October 19, and the exhibition continues with regular hours through October 28 at the Engine Room, 2809 N. Robertson St.
