art boy

An art assistant for a gallery in New York knows his role well, to live in romantic poverty and be paid in social clout and drugs. “Art Boy,” directed by Taylor Ervin, is a sharp-edged depiction of an art scene where the actual art is a second tier concern over the lifestyles and personas behind the scenes. We follow the young man through his Chinatown wanderings: delivering a package to an artist on Canal St, running into an ex-girlfriend at a bodega, chitchatting with friends about the evolution of pornography. It’s a typical, unremarkable day moving through a neighborhood living off the fumes of 60’s/70’s artistic vibrancy. It’s a film about characters who aim to give off an impression, cultivate a want for nothing personality (lest they go clean and get a straight job curating for MoMA, like the protagonist’s ex-girlfriend). Ervin knows the scene well, and captures it with a cynical but perceptive eye. He employs a Voice of God style narrator to give the film personal and cultural context while stylistically contrasting the edgy, street level proceedings. -KA.

nobudge.com/videos/art-boy