23 Feb - 13 April 08
www.serpentinegallery.org
Michael Derek Elworthy Jarman was born in 1942 and sadly passed away in the February of 1994. He was one of the leading British film-makers of his generation.
This show at the Serpentine has been curated by the celebrated artist and filmmaker Isaac Julien, and highlights Jarman’s work in film, paintings and photography. It also marks the premiere of Julien’s new film about Jarman, Derek, and includes a narration by Tilda Swinton and clips of Jarman’s film. Photographic lightboxes documenting Jarman’s cottage and garden in Dungeness are also included in the gallery.
The iconic 1993 film 'Blue' fills a complete wall, large bean bags scattered on the floor... Jarman created Blue when he was blind and dying of AIDS-related complications. It consists of a single shot of saturated blue colour filling the screen, as background to a soundtrack composed by Simon Fisher Turner featuring original music by Coil and other artists, where Jarman describes his life and vision.
...A brilliant and long overdue show!
