Bad Painter

Albert Oehlen steps behind the camera to present a portrait of himself, in life and at work, albeit substituted by actor and similarly brazen iconoclast Udo Kier, with musician Kim Gordon as his inner self, interviewer and judge.

Albert Oehlen stares as a blank canvas. His first stroke makes this oblique object a painting. As he speaks about the function of his actions, moving a brush across a white surface, an inner voice delves deeper, exploring motivation, emotion, inspiration and desire. Oehlen resides in LA and this portrait sees him in the company of friends, admirers, and lovers past and present… Except it’s impossible to differentiate between reality and fiction. An actor plays Oehlen, with the painter behind the camera, creating his life out of individual shots, knowing that with the progression of each, a portrait will emerge.

Udo Kier is the perfect choice to play multi-hyphenate Oehlen, while acclaimed musician Kim Gordon is his interviewer and inner voice. Moving through time, Bad Painter grapples with the former Neue Wilde artist’s legacy in life and the tempestuous, all-consuming art world. Not so much a mockumentary as a playful takedown of artistic portraits – existing on a spectrum that also incorporates the acclaimed 1973 David Hockney film A Bigger Splash and the 2010 Banksy documentary Exit Through the Gift Shop – Oehlen’s film is very much a portrait of the artist as a force of nature.

– Vanja Kaludjercic

Trailer

Interview

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