One of the most conspicuous developments in downtown New York in the late 1970s was the decision by many young artists to start making low- budget, narrative films. This was part of a broader embrace of popular media, as many of these filmmakers were also active in rock bands. Writers began to use the term “No Wave” to describe both independent film and music of this period, on account of the shared reliance on improvisation and the DIY approach to art making.
Artist Christopher Wool was attracted to this scene, regularly visiting spots favored by No Wave filmmakers and musicians like the Mudd Club and the New Cinema on St. Marks Place, the principal venue for Super 8 film screenings. Wool befriended filmmakers and toyed with the idea of making films himself but ultimately, according to the catalog for his 2013 retrospective at the Guggenheim Museum, he was “a rapt observer rather than central player.”
This history helps explain Wool’s central role in Hell is You: The New Cinema 1979, a series of No Wave films screened at Printed Matter in 1994. Wool participated in the selection of films, and also designed the hard-to-find poster now available at Gallery 98. At Gallery 98 you will also find more art ephemera by Christopher Wool, as well as, a special section on Independent and No Wave films.
