Avant-Garde Filmmaker Robert Beavers Set to Dazzle Seoul with Poetic Cinema

Robert Beavers, a master of lyrical filmmaking known for his poetic use of light and rhythm, is set to meet Seoul audiences for the first time at a talk on July 29 at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea.

During the event, the avant-garde filmmaker will offer insights into his experiences and creative process, as well as discuss his works screening from July 25-30 at the state museum.

The MMCA Film and Video program will showcase 15 short films that highlight Beavers’ distinctive cinematic language, exploring ancient cities, everyday environments, and nature through the lens of 16mm cameras.

\”I was captivated by the 16mm Bolex camera and experimented with placing hand-cut filters in the camera’s aperture or controlling the space in front of the lens using a compendium with mattes in ‘Early Monthly Segments’ (1968-70) and subsequent films. The process inside the camera revealed one discovery after another,\” Beavers explains on his website.

The talk has a capacity of 120 attendees and requires pre-registration via the museum’s website, which opens Monday at 6 p.m.
Beavers, born in 1949 in Brookline, Massachusetts, relocated to Europe in 1967 to work exclusively with 16mm film, a practice he continues to this day. His journey began with his first 16mm film in New York in 1966. According to the museum, \”The Sparrow Dream,\” scheduled for screening on July 26, is among his recent works.