Gretchen Bender: Political Entertainment
Spr眉th Magers is pleased to present Gretchen Bender鈥檚 series Top Ten Grossing Films of 1988 at the Berlin gallery, shown for the first time since their 1989 debut. The ten sculptures, made of black crumpled heat-set vinyl and backlit by neon, illuminate the titles of 1988鈥檚 highest-grossing films, compiled by Bender during her constant scrutinising of the daily Hollywood magazine, Variety. Driven by her desire to never be a step behind the popular culture her art was critiquing, Bender began her research into Variety for industry production notes about upcoming films before they were completed, or often before they even went into production. She discovered that what was portrayed as an 鈥渆ntertainment鈥 industry was quickly revealed to be an industry of corporate and financial politics. The ten titles of this series emerge as the most successful products of those influences, and our passive consumption of them.
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Spr眉th Magers is pleased to present Gretchen Bender鈥檚 series Top Ten Grossing Films of 1988 at the Berlin gallery, shown for the first time since their 1989 debut. The ten sculptures, made of black crumpled heat-set vinyl and backlit by neon, illuminate the titles of 1988鈥檚 highest-grossing films, compiled by Bender during her constant scrutinising of the daily Hollywood magazine, Variety. Driven by her desire to never be a step behind the popular culture her art was critiquing, Bender began her research into Variety for industry production notes about upcoming films before they were completed, or often before they even went into production. She discovered that what was portrayed as an 鈥渆ntertainment鈥 industry was quickly revealed to be an industry of corporate and financial politics. The ten titles of this series emerge as the most successful products of those influences, and our passive consumption of them.