The Iconoclast - The Images of Richard Slye
"...well worth catching. Slye's political art of collages has been called the lie that tells the truth. The illustrations are wonderful, and Slye's own on-camera presence is almost mesmerizing." - Jim Bawden, Starweek, The Toronto Star
"He's one of the few contemporary artists who are politically engaged, and his work, the pulling together of images garnered from all aspects of pop culture, is a direct, raw commentary on current political issues. Slye is also an articulate spokesman for his art and the traditions that lie behind it. A visual and intellectual treat." - John Doyle, Broadcast Week, The Globe and Mail
"For courses in Media and Society, I highly recommend The Iconoclast . If you liked 'Killing Us Softly' you must see this." - Ardis Harriman, A/V Librarian, University of Toronto
The Iconoclast: The Images of Richard Slye presents the art and viewpoints of a gifted Canadian artist. Slye literally deconstructs media images by cutting icons out of magazines and putting them into new contexts that give them totally new and critical meanings.
Slye's work is rooted in the art of the surrealists and the German Dadaist John Heartfield. From Atlanta, Georgia, Slye was one of the small number of white southerners who become involved in the civil rights movement. His activism in the movement against the Vietnam War led to his leaving the United States and becoming a Canadian citizen.
Richard Slye delivers his point of view forcefully and with humour in this hour-long documentary by director Michael Connolly. We see him at work putting various images together into a provocative whole.
Slye's art is very political and reveals the hidden relationships and meanings behind the carefully-composed images of media and advertising. His montages comment on the ideology of consumerism, militarism and the threat to Canada's independence.
Slye's powerful works have been given even more visual depth with the use of animation. The emotive music of Catastrophe Theory adds to this fast-paced, thoughtful documentary.
The Iconoclast would be of particular interest to students of media studies, sociology, art and politics.
It is distributed by Kinetic Inc. (www.kineticvideo.com) in a 28-minute educational version. The full 50-minute version is distributed by VTape (www.vtape.org).
