Beautiful Loser's Review

In the documentary Beautiful Losers, directed by Aaron Rose and Joshua Leonard, we see a group of young artist from the early 1990s that participated in different elements of art. They did not change the world with their art, but they did show how far passion can take you in life. The documentary interviews Thomas Campbell, Cheryl Dunn, Shepard Fairey, Jo Jackson, Chris Johanson, Margaret Kilgallen, Harmony Korine, Geoff McFetridge, Barry McGee, Mike Mills, Stephen Powers II, and Ed Templeton. They each talk about a time in their lives when they felt ostracized and considered as failures by others, but they kept going forward with their art because it is what they wanted to do.

This group of artist was not in it for the money, but they manage to make a career of this life style. A lot of the film talks about when they all began showing at a gallery in New York called Alleged Gallery curated and owned by Aaron Rose. This wasn’t a typical gallery by definition of what we have become used to, the Alleged Gallery was more of an informal place where they can show case their art and drink together. This was the beginning of a community of artist that through time grew and made names for them selves. They came together in a show called Beautiful Losers that traveled from city to city. It showcased the same artist that first showed in the Alleged Gallery at this point in their careers you can see how they have grown into these confident artist with their own styles.

While watching this film it brought to my attention what the point of art has always been, to not take your self or the world around you so seriously. I don’t think art would have really become what is it today if people took it seriously. I’m sure that when art was first recognized in the history books it has always had a serious tone. Back when the world was new art was created for embellishment, but today I feel it is about a lot more than that. With artist like Margaret Kilgallen, Mike Mills, and Jo Jackson we see that art has become something that you can do for fun and because you love it.