“It’s not so much how it makes me feel. It’s how it makes me think.”
Artist Joel Handorff is one of the many artists who show up in the documentary Scooter LaForge: A Life of Art, a chronicle about the art of Scooter LaForge, a very original queer artist whose art is sought by many celebrities and connoisseurs of today’s art scene in New York. Nothing says it better than Handorff’s address when it comes to describing LaForge’s work, and it’s exactly what you’ll feel after participating in the documentary experience by Ethan H. Minsker.
Minsker enters LaForge’s circle and stays there long enough to put together an image of everything that made the artist what he is today. From his upbringing in New Mexico to navigating through the rocky 1990s scene, where AIDS was instantly associated with a social movement undermined by extreme prejudice. His testimonies show him as a result of that progression. A troubled mind who found a blank canvas to be cathartic and the “aggression” against it to be the only way. LaForge’s treatment of the world is unique: chaotic, beautiful, and subversive.
The director provides enough screen time to LaForge’s peers in order to help the viewer understand how others see the artist and possibly assist in interpreting what sometimes feels abstract. I’m no art specialist, but understanding LaForge’s work demands going beyond a simple work of art. You need to know why LaForge is doing what he does when he can’t stop himself. It’s not a desperate performance but a meticulously planned one that reflects a chaotic state of mind. LaForge paints a blank canvas, but he also does clothes and every other object you can think of.
Scooter LaForge: A Life of Art is a quick gathering where an artist opens up and expresses his contempt as well as his more personal and friendlier views. However, some may not connect with the artist’s outlook that tilts towards a political position. But at this point, LaForge has proved his work is as divisive as it is relevant. Sometimes, it’s just about looking the right way, and more than once, he makes everyone turn their heads. Mission accomplished.
Fans of pop and abstract art will have a blast with Scooter LaForge: A Life of Art. The film does a great job of providing context to the artist’s more controversial pieces. Eventually, you’ll find yourself in a territory where chaos is the rule, ambition is harmless, and infinite worlds are disguised in a mixture of colors.
Film critic. Lover of all things horror. Member of the OFCS. RT Approved Critic.
