Hollywood to Fine Art: Screening and Discussion

Santa Monica Art Museum (SMAM) hosts a one-night-only screening and panel discussion on Tuesday, May 16, 2023, with five exhibiting artists about their backgrounds working in film, television, music, advertising, and their current photographic work on view at the museum.

Hollywood is synonymous with many things: as the heart of the entertainment industry, the motion picture capital of the world, the center of fame, advertising, and influencers. It is also an emblem that has long held the fascination of creatives for the past 100 years.

SMAM is pleased to feature five of its exhibiting artists—Brett Foraker, James Hayman, Daniel Sackheim, Tatiana Wills, and Russell Young—who have each made a name for themselves within Hollywood industries and continue to explore its long lasting thematic power.

The screening will showcase each artists’ connection to Hollywood, including: Brett Foraker’s surrealist advertisements with Ridley Scott Associates; James Hayman’s directorial work on The Sopranos as well as independent films he made in China and Japan; Daniel Sackheim’s directorial work on shows like Game of Thrones and True Detective and selections from his unreleased photographic short film Slow Kiss; Tatiana Wills’s work on guerrilla ad campaigns and collaborative work with world class ballerinas and dance companies; and Russell Young’s photography of music stars in the 1980s as well as music videos he directed in the golden age of MTV in the 1990s.

The panel discussion following will touch on each artists’ career and how Hollywood has (or hasn’t) informed their individual artistic pursuits and current work, including: Brett Foraker’s abstracted photographs in and around Los Angeles; James Hayman’s philanthropic efforts and humanist approach to street photography; Daniel Sackheim’s film noir inspired photographs of contemporary life in Los Angeles; Tatiana Wills’s unfiltered portrait photography of fellow creatives; and Russell Young’s silkscreen paintings that source photographs of cultural icons and historical imagery.