T.J. Wilcox Overview

The short films of the American artist T. J. Wilcox feel like physical objects: flickering, kinetic paintings. The impression of material density comes from his labor-intensive methods. Each film is pieced together, almost frame by frame, from vintage and new film... [more]

The short films of the American artist T. J. Wilcox feel like physical objects: flickering, kinetic paintings. The impression of material density comes from his labor-intensive methods. Each film is pieced together, almost frame by frame, from vintage and new film clips, including animation. The process entails copying film onto video and back again, so that a generational distance is established between the sources and the 16-millimeter film that is the result. The final product has a dimmed-down, clunky, antiquated feel that draws attention to the fragile mechanics of the medium and also suits Mr. Wilcox's narratives, which are often fantastic, fetishistic riffs on historical personalities, among them, in the last few years, Marlene Dietrich and Marie Antoinette. Wilcox seems riveted by the poetic texture of this story, an idyll of near-mystical intensity that ended when the boy Antinous drowned himself. And he conveys his fascination by orchestrating the unfolding details with a caressing flow of images. [Holland Cotter, NYT, November 11, 2000] [show less]