Beginning in the late 1970s, a number of visual artists in downtown New
York City returned to an exploration of the cinematic. They engaged
cinematic movement, time, and the body in their work, and they did so
across mediums, utilizing not only film, but sculpture, drawing,
photography, and performance. This cinematic impulse was evident in the
high art of Jack Goldstein, Robert Longo, and Cindy Sherman, in the film
practices of 'No Wave' filmmakers Amos Poe and Vivienne Dick, and in the
feature films of Kathryn Bigelow. Vera Dika considers the work within a
greater cultural context and probes for a deeper understanding of the
practice.