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Klaas Rommelaere, young Belgian artist working with embroidery, has a special penchant for movies. References to pop culture feature frequently in his works. Let’s take a look at some of the movie and music that inspired him for his current exhibition ‚Dark Uncles‘ at Texture Kortrijk.
Music That Inspired Klaas Rommelaere
Have a listen to the music below to get into Klaas‘ frame of mind as he works on his embroideries in his studio
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Movie Inspirations Behind ‚Dark Uncles‘
One of the main inspirations from the show is Midsommer, informing the processional format of Klaas‘ puppets. Japanese culture is also integral to Klaas‘ art, and he has been a long standing fan of Hayao Miyazaki’s works stories and aesthetics. Naturally, the idea of ancestry and familial history is a key theme in this autobiographical show. Spirited Away explores our history with our parents and our true nature, while Hereditary tells the inescapable consequences of familial ties. Though perhaps the narrative of ‚Dark Uncles‘ is not as sinister and harrowing as the movies. The show tells the life of Klaas Rommelaere, an artist that found his own way after leaving his formal training in fashion, much like Maud in Maudie discovers herself through her art.
Take a look at the full list of movies below:
Film Still from Midsommer (2019)
Written and directed by Ari Aster, starring Florence Pugh and Jack Reynor
Synopsis: A couple travel to Sweden to visit their friend’s rural hometown for its fabled midsummer festival, but what begins as an idyllic retreat quickly devolves into an increasingly violent and bizarre competition at the hands of a pagan cult.
[Ari Aster’s strength in] “Midsommar,” is the setup, that part when he lays out his characters, their worlds and the menace that closes on them like a claw… Aster handles the windup shrewdly with a persuasive realism, a deliberate pace and crepuscular lighting.
Film Still from My Neighbour Totoro (1988)
Written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki
Synopsis: Mei and Satsuki move to a new house to be closer to their mother who is in the hospital. They soon become friends with Totoro, a giant rabbit-like creature who is a spirit.
Miyazaki so effectively captures the feeling of a child’s life, inside as well as out, that little ones are often mesmerized by the movie, and adults are returned to a time when they could enjoy mystery for its own sake.
AV Club
Film Still from Spirited Away (2001)
Written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki
Synopsis: 10-year-old Chihiro and her parents stumble upon a seemingly abandoned amusement park. After her mother and father are turned into giant pigs, Chihiro meets the mysterious Haku, who explains that the park is a resort for supernatural beings who need a break from their time spent in the earthly realm, and that she must work there to free herself and her parents.
The title “Spirited Away“ could refer to what Disney has done on a corporate level to the revered Japanese animation director Hayao Miyazaki’s epic and marvelous new anime fantasy.
New York Times
Film Still from Hereditary (2018)
Written and direct by Ari Aster, starring Toni Collette, Alex Wolff, Milly Shapiro and Gabriel Byrne
Synopsis: When Ellen, the matriarch of the Graham family, passes away, her daughter’s family begins to unravel cryptic and increasingly terrifying secrets about their ancestry. The more they discover, the more they find themselves trying to outrun the sinister fate they seem to have inherited.
Collette give a terrific, hypnotic performance as a harried mother facing down family evil in Ari Aster’s rivetingly shot horror debut.
The Guardian
Film Still from Under The Skin (2013)
Written by Jonathan Glazer and Walter Campbell, directed by Jonathan Glazer, starring Scarlett Johansson
Synopsis: Disguising itself as a human female, an extraterrestrial drives around Scotland attempting to lure unsuspecting men into her van. Once there, she seduces and sends them into another dimension where they are nothing more than meat.
Invading this arena with no evidence of even the slimmest compromise, Glazer has managed to make one of the most outlandish portraits of alienation in recent memory
IndieWire
Film Still from The Outsider (2018)
Written by Andrew Baldwin, directed by Martin Zandvliet starring Jared Leto, Tadanobu Asano, Kippei Shiina, Shiori Kutsuna, and Emile Hirsch
Synopsis: After World War II, an American prisoner of war stays in Japan and works his way through the rituals and hardships of the yakuza to become a member of the crime organization.
In its obsession with all things Japanese, the film places a special emphasis on the quality of humility. Nevertheless, the story ends with an elite corps of Asian assassins bowing to the former frontman for 30 Seconds to Mars.
The Guardian
Film Still from Maudie (2016)
Written by Sherry White, directed by Aisling Walsh, starring Sally Hawkins and Ethan Hawke
Synopsis: Maud, a woman suffering from arthritis, begins painting as a hobby while she works as a housekeeper for Everett Lewis. As her art becomes more popular, Everett asks her to marry him.
Sally Hawkins and Ethan Hawke open up two closed people, unleashing torrents of feeling, in this film inspired by the life of a self-taught artist.
New York Times