Calendar: Screening: “Can Dialectics Break Bricks?,” selected and introduced by artist Adler Guerrier
Event Description
To coincide with his solo exhibition, Formulating a Plot, Miami-based artist Adler Guerrier will introduce the film "Can Dialectics Break Bricks?” (1973). Directed by René Viénet, this satirical kung fu film was created by artists associated with the Situationist International group.
Dubbing over a pre-existing martial arts film, “Crush” (1972) by Tu Guangqi, the artists transform the original work with a subversive and humorous exploration of class conflict and radical ideals. Employing a strategy of détournement, in which systems are co-opted and radically redeployed, the film captures the irreverent political critiques that defined the Situationist InternationaI (SI). Guerrier’s practice is indebted to the influence of the SI and he has selected this film for its exploration of rhetoric, appropriation and revolution.
Film still, “Can Dialectics Break Bricks?” (1973) by René Viénet