Jaar, Lament of the Images

Alfredo Jaar, who presented his film Le Ceneri di Pasolini at Lo schermo dell’Arte in 2009, returns as the protagonist and narrating voice in this beautiful film by director Paula Rodriguez. The documentary uses archival materials and footage from the Chilean artist’s studio and home, and spans over 40 years of his career. He talks about the modalities of his work, focusing on some of his best-known projects. These include: This is Not America (1987) in which he used the LED advertising strip in Times Square in New York to spread a political message; Rwanda Project (1994-2000) documents the horrors of one of the 20th century’s bloodiest genocides, largely ignored by Western media. His work forces the public to take a new and more conscious look at some of the most dramatic and complex situations on the planet. Deployed in the fight against Western society’s indifference, his projects, in which political commitment, anthropological considerations and aesthetic sense are closely linked, have made him one of the most influential artists of the contemporary scene. For him, art is an effective and necessary means to defend free information and expression in a world in which fundamental human rights are too often inhibited and censored. The film score is curated by Alfredo’s son Nicolàs composre, dj and eletronic music producer