Last weekend, American artist Nathaniel Mary Quinn played curator-in-residence at the Metrograph theater in downtown Manhattan. In collaboration with Gagosian , the artist presented a selection of his favorite films, bringing A Raisin in the Sun (1961), Hustle & Flow (2005) and Lust for Life (1956) back to the silver screen. The three films were brought together by their exploration of a better life.
“Driven by a profound platform of faith, they’re trying to get out of the mud and find a way to walk into the light,” the artist tells HypeArt. “You have to be slightly crazy to believe in the things that, by all accounts, seem impossible.” Whether it be through Walter’s business ventures in A Raisin in the Sun , DJay’s pursuit of music in Hustle & Flow or Van Gogh’s unwavering love for painting in Lust for Life, these protagonists embody a steadfast ambition to make something out of themselves despite the dire world around them.
Ahead of the screening, Quinn reflects on the beauty of Daniel Petrie’s cult-classic A Raisin in the Sun . “When I was a teacher in Chicago, I stayed up all night, painting a mural and watched it back-to-back like 15 times. Sidney Poitier’s acting is a tour-de-force, dancing in a rhythmic fashion throughout the film,” he notes.
“Walter grew up in an era of the American Dream and have the full intention of living it out. He has no reason nor rationale about the things he wants to do.” In a conversation with writer and filmmaker.