On March 20, both films “My Summer 77 with Gordon Matta-Clark” & “A Jacob’s Ladder remembering Gordon Matta-Clark” were shown to the Belgian audience at Cinema Zuid, Antwerp.   The local museum of modern arts, M HKA, arranged this unique event focussing on the avant garde artist Gordon Matta-Clark. Gordon was a key character in M HKA’s founding history in the late 70′s and early 80′s.

Bart De Baere, director of M HKA opened the première and both films were introduced to the public by architectural & art researcher Stefaan Vervoort, in what he defined as “a historical moment“.  The packed audience was eager to enter Gordon’s universe. Art historian Johan Pas stated after the screening: “I always read about him being a very charismatic, dynamic & sensual, kind of rock-’n'-roll figure and now I truly witnessed how he really was. It’s great this footage got saved and now is shown to the public after 35 years by Cherica.”   Flor Bex, one of the main characters in the films & founding father of M HKA, was pleased to see such a young and enthusiastic audience. After the screenings, Stefaan Vervoort moderated a Q&A, with Flor Bex, former director of ICC and M HKA, and filmmaker Cherica Convents.

The night ended in a blast at UFO café allied to Cinema Zuid. Soundtrack composer Jan Verheyen and his band The House of Sun closed the evening with great blues vibrations & other liberating soundscapes. A night to be remembered, a journey to be started …

(Below you can watch “The ‘wrap up’ sessions” in the aftermath of the premiere screening in Antwerp)

# WRAP-UP SESSION 1 / WORLD PREMIERE NIGHT

# WRAP-UP SESSION 2 / FLOR BEX ABOUT SUMMER 77

Coming soon: more videos with in-depth interviews & footage.

event photos © 2013 Bram Goots / film stills © 2013 Cherica Convents

By time we will also gather interviews (video’s, sound recordings, …) from people who have known Gordon while he was working on his artworks in Europe in 1977.