Sarah Morris – L.A. 2004

Yesterday I paid a visit to Rotterdam’s Boymans van Beuningen museum. One thing that caught my eye was a temporary exhibition of work by Sarah Morris. As well as producing large, geometrically abstract paintings, she has also produced some films. I saw her film of Los Angeles 2004 – a hypnotic look at L.A. in the days leading up to the Oscars ceremony. The film is without dialogue – the soundtrack is music only – and the end result is something like the films of Godfrey Reggio. A hypnotic look at the denizens of Tinseltown primping and preening themselves under the watchful eyes of thousands of cameras. The end result (for me) was a glimpse into the inner hell of Hollywood; a town where image is all, filled with beautiful people with empty souls.