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Post Americana and They Live

Screening and conversation with Vibeke Tandberg
Still Post Americana 9

Welcome to a screening of Vibeke Tandberg’s two recent short films, Post Americana and They Live — two films that, in different ways, are dystopian meditations on the American Dream. Tandberg will be in conversation with writer and filmmaker Hans Petter Blad after the screening.

About the films

Post Americana31 min.

"Post Americana" follows a cowboy through night and day, fog and sun, accompanied by his horse, on his last journey. Walking relentlessly towards an undefined destination he is eventually shot dead by an unknown enemy. The film incorporates classical Western film aesthetics, albeit devoid of narrative structures, morality, and redemption. The minimalist, absurd narrative renders the cowboy an empty myth without purpose.

They Live16 min.

"They Live" is a nonconforming behind-the-scenes Super 8 film. Here, the grip takes the lead, circling the dying cowboy, and the film becomes its own work. From a descriptive perspective, the story of the cowboy is altered, suggesting a never-ending loop of alternative endings and perspectives. The title "They Live" refers to the print on the grip’s T-shirt, which, in turn, is a reference to John Carpenter's 1988 sci-fi horror film.

About the artist

Vibeke Tandberg is an artist and author based in Oslo. She was educated as a fine art photographer and later developed her artistic practice to include film, sculpture, and novels. Her work navigates identity through psychological, social, and political matters that shape our lives. Her works are represented in a variety of museum collections, including Astrup Fearnley Museum and The National Museum in Oslo, Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville, Paris, Moderna Museet, Stockholm, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, Guggenheim Collection, and Museum of Modern Art, New York.

See also