Chantal Akerman: Film as Installation at MHKA Antwerp

The exhibition of Chantal Akerman's installations at the Museum van Hedendaagse Kunst Antwerpen (MHKA), running until June 10, 2012, reveals her deep anti-naturalism and the inherent installation quality of her films. Akerman, a pioneer in merging cinema and museum space, is examined through works like 'La Chambre' (1972), 'D'Est: au bord de la fiction' (25 monitors), and 'In the Mirror' (1971/2007). Her last film, 'La Folie Almayer' (2011), an adaptation of Joseph Conrad's novel, parallels her earlier 'La Captive' (2000) from Proust, exploring themes of possession, incestuous passion, and identity. The film's narrative structure, beginning with a cabaret scene where Nina's rebel lover is killed, and its exceptional long final shot of Stanislas Merhar, emphasize a romanticism opposed to Coppola's 'Apocalypse Now'. Akerman's camera consistently films from darkness, moving toward light, as in the climactic beach separation scene reminiscent of Léon Spilliaert. The exhibition underscores her belief that an image requires duration to be truly seen, challenging the transparency of cinema. Her installations allow experimentation with time beyond the constraints of a theater, creating a new spectatorial experience. The article also notes Raoul Ruiz's earlier museum work in 1991 at Jeu de Paume.