Richard Turner's 'Contempt Mandala' Merges Godard with Buddhist Cosmology

Richard Turner's exhibition 'Contempt Mandala' at Grand Central Art Center, California State University, Fullerton (November 1, 2008 – January 12, 2009), blends Western and Eastern concepts through a video installation, models, and paintings. Turner, a Southern California artist who identifies as an Orientalist, draws on his experiences living in Vietnam and India. The work is inspired by Jean-Luc Godard's film 'Le Mépris' (Contempt) and the architectural similarities between Casa Malaparte (featured in the film) and the 18th-century Jantar Mantar astronomical observatory in Jaipur, India. The video installation opens with the scene where Camille (Brigitte Bardot) enters producer Prokov's car, saturated in red, and later incorporates the fatal car crash. It overlays Asian imagery, Hindu symbols, and stars with dialogue from the film. A third section focuses on actress Giorgia Moll, who appears in both 'Le Mépris' and 'The Quiet American' (set in pre-war Vietnam, where Turner lived as a child). Turner aims to film 'Ulysses' journey,' reflecting a psychogeography mixing East and West, reality and fiction.