How To Say I Love You: Selected Screen Works from Curtis Taylor
Wednesday night was movie night in PICAs’ cramped performance space, as a small crowd was treated to a selection of films acknowledging current resident artist Curtis Taylors’ background in film making. He curated a series of three films for the evening which, in their own ways, were about the ways we say I love you. From an eccentric and obsessive sound designer to a search for authentic love in an ableist society, and Taylors’ own 2019 work Yulubidyi – Until The End, these short films are touching explorations of the expression of all kinds of love.
Sol Bunker started the evening with its quirky, animated pencil drawings and depression-era costuming. Foley artist Sol struggles to find a way to keep his dying wife alive while forgetting to live with her while he still can. This is the sort of film best watched in comfy pyjamas while sobbing into your family-sized block of chocolate, but it is more than it’s blatant sentimentalism. Nathan Mewett - a long-time collaborator of Taylors’ - imbues the film with a fierce determination with which those of us who have experienced grief can relate. The temptation to dwell in denial is strong, and it takes Sols’ son, Addie to remind him of the power of living in the moment. You can watch this film here.
Thomas Banks’ Quest For Love is a documentary from Pip Kelly. Five years in the making it features Tom as he revels in his sexuality while searching for that ineffable thing, True Love. This is in many ways a universal story - Thomas, like many of us, becomes so desperate to find someone who will love him for who he is, that he begins to forget who he wants to be. The 2018 documentary won Best Short Film at Queer Screen’s Mardi Gras Film Festival, and is a powerful example of the power of representation in media to create more inclusive societies.
The focus of the night was contemporary artist and film-maker Curtis Taylor, who has an authoritative presence which pervades the room without dominating the conversation. He didn’t take his hand from co-star Trenton Samsons’ chair during the Q&A which followed the screenings, and they spoke to each other with respect and affection that was evident to everyone in the room. This emotional bond shines through in the AACTA nominated film. With shades of Cleverman, Yulubidyi – Until The End is a Martu story of responsibility, familial bonds and toxic masculinity. When Jarmun and Brianol are bullied by their father they escape together to the desert, where Brianol’s connection to country is both strengthened and ultimately called upon to rescue them both.
“Yulubidyi – Until The End” is a beautiful work which grows in meaning when viewed in the context of Taylors’ current exhibition. Untitled (Uura) is a collection of sculpture, painting and installations which can be seen until December 22nd at PICA.
