- Overview of the work of the experimental filmmaker Lutz Mommartz - A
comprehensive two-volume publication The work of the experimental
filmmaker Lutz Mommartz (*1934) has been shaking up the art and film
community for more than 50 years. Ever since he embarked on his career
as an artist in the 1960s, Mommartz has been thinking out of the box.
Rejecting the clichés of the movie industry, he aimed to bring about a
radical new beginning of film - with a focus on aesthetic and social
goals. In 1967, he soared to the top of the German avantgarde as a
self-taught filmmaker after his surprising success at the renowned
experimental film festival in Knokke, Belgium. Not only was he one of
the founding members of the legendary Creamcheese bar populated by
artists, but he also participated in influential festivals and
exhibitions such as the documenta 4 (1968). From this time onward, he
belonged to the circle of filmmakers who pressed ahead with "the other
cinema" against the mainstream film industry and promoted alternative
distribution systems. In 1975, Mommartz became the first professor of
film at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf and headed the film class until
1999. During a career spanning more than 50 years, Mommartz produced an
impressive body of short and experimental films, feature films, and
documentary recordings of Düsseldorf's art scene. The two-volume
publication provides an introduction into his diverse oeuvre and
highlights thematic and associative connections between his films. Text
in English and German. Published to accompany an exhibition at
Kunsthalle Düsseldorf, between 21 November 2020 and 7 February 2021.
