Artist-Curated Film Series: The Banana Man (1983) with Introduction by Lisa Lapinski
Mike Kelley, Still from The Banana Man, 1983. Video, color, sound. 28:15 min. Courtesy of Electronic Arts Intermix (EAI), New York and the Mike Kelley Foundation for the Arts, Los Angeles.
Lisa Lapinski introduces a screening of Mike Kelley’s The Banana Man, presented as part of a film series curated by Lapinski in conjunction with her exhibition at the VAC.
In this first complete video work by Kelley, the artist wears a bright yellow sailor suit to perform as the Banana Man in various scenarios. He derived the title from a marginal character on the children’s television show Captain Kangaroo, which he never saw, but heard of from childhood stories and brings to life here through his own imaginings. The text of his voice-over constructs a psychology of humor, misery, and confusion for Kelley’s Banana Man, as he explores the possibilities for suggesting individual character by way of the slightest of cues.
Lisa Lapinski: Drunk Hawking is on view January 24 – March 6, 2020.
About the Program
For this artist-curated film series, Lisa Lapinski selected two films that deal with themes present in her work, including communication and linguistics, childhood and popular culture, and the construction of meaning.
Screening Schedule
Poto and Cabengo (1980), directed by Jean-Pierre Gorin
February 5 / 3 PM / Art Building, Rm. 1.102
The Banana Man (1983), by Mike Kelley
February 11 / 3 PM / Art Building, Rm. 1.120