Episode #267: Marcel Dzama directs his friends and collaborators, Amy Sedaris and Raymond Pettibon, during the making of his film, "Dance Floor Dracula, Prelude in C-Sharp Minor." Mirroring his earlier experiences making short movies and music videos with his artist friends in Winnipeg, Dzama explains that "making films is an excuse to get a group of people and just have this family for a little while."

In his Brooklyn studio, Dzama shares the drawings that serve as the starting point for his filmmaking process. "For Dance Floor Dracula, Prelude in C-Sharp Minor," the artist charts out an imaginary chess match between himself, played by Amy Sedaris, and artist Raymond Pettibon. Back on set at David Zwirner Gallery in Manhattan, Dzama encourages open-ended collaboration and improvisation with Sedaris and Pettibon, allowing for a sense of play, spontaneity, and temporary community before he returns to his more contemplative studio practice.

Marcel Dzama was born in 1974 in Winnipeg, Canada. Fantastical and absurd, Dzama's drawings feature a cast of humans, animals, and hybrid creatures rendered in pencil, ink, watercolor, and, at times, root-beer syrup. Dzama draws upon a mix of influences—from childhood monsters, like the Wolfman and Dracula, to the work of artists like Marcel Duchamp, Francisco Goya, William Blake, and Francis Picabia—to create unique worlds that are at once surreal and familiar, sweet and violent, and chaotic and elegant.

Learn more about the artist at:
https://art21.org/artist/marcel-dzama/

CREDITS | Producer: Ian Forster. Interview: Ian Forster. Editor: Rosie Walunas. Colorist: Jonah Greenstein. Camera: Jarred Alterman and John Marton. Sound: Audtin Plocher. Artwork courtesy: Marcel Dzama and David Zwirner. Special thanks: Smokey Nelson, Raymond Pettibon, and Amy Sedaris.

#MarcelDzama #Art21 #Art21ExtendedPlay #AmySedaris #RaymondPettibon