Born Ian Kerkhof in Aparteid South Africa in 1964, the Dutch writer/artist/filmmaker Aryan Kaganof has found himself associated with the most extreme names in challenging industrial and experimental art – including the likes of Merzbow, Matthew Barney, J.G. Ballard, Blixa Bargeld, Henry Rollins, Hisayasu Sato, and Peter Whitehead.
It is a wonder then that mentioning the name Aryan Kaganof in film circles often yields the same result: a concerning “Who?” Indeed, this seems to be the question all over the internet. Without a single home video release in the U.S. or film retrospective to mention, this has sent Kaganof’s work deeper into the underground than it deserves to be. We here at Spectacle aim to change that, in hope of answering the question: “Who The Hell Is Aryan Kaganof?”
WASTED!
Dir. Aryan Kaganof, 1996
Netherlands. 104 min.
In Dutch with English subtitles.
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 3 – MIDNIGHT
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 9 – 5 PM
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 10 – 7:30 PM
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 22 – 10 PM
Two young lovers Jacqueline and Martijn escape to Amsterdam where their relationship is brought to the limit by the dangerous sex and drug fueled underworld. Filmed and conceived when hardcore gabber and ecstasy use in The Netherlands was at its zenith.
TOKYO ELEGY
Dir. Aryan Kaganof, 1999
Japan/Netherlands. 85 min.
In Japanese and Dutch with English subtitles.
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 1 — 10 PM
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 10 — MIDNIGHT
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 15 — 7:30 PM
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 19 — 10 PM
This film – also known as SHABONDAMA ELEGY – details the sordid and deadly love affair between paranoid man-on-the-run Jack and his cunning porn star ex-sister-in-law Keiko. With a soundtrack by infamous noise artist MERZBOW, directed by a South African, starring Dutch actor Thom Hoffman and featuring a Japanese cast and crew, TOKYO ELEGY is truly an international affair.
BEYOND ULTRA VIOLENCE: UNEASY LISTENING BY MERZBOW
Dir. Aryan Kaganof, 1998
Japan/Netherlands. 72 min.
In Japanese and English with English subtitles.
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 5 — 10 PM
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 9 — 7:30 PM
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 17 — 10 PM
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 27 — 7:30 PM
An experimental and exhilarating documentary about Masami Akita, the man many harsh noise enthusiasts know simply as MERZBOW.
Screening with:
THE SEQUENCE OF PARALLEL BARS
Dir. Aryan Kaganof, 1992
USA, 8 min.
A sexy black and white silent short from Kaganof and scored by MERZBOW.