An Archaeology of Images: The Films of Rafael Hastings

Please reserve a free ticket at the link above! Including food and drinks.

"There is something about the light on the Peruvian coast that cannot be replicated; it is not just the stillness of the androids, but something that leans towards danger, towards the gentle passage of time. I stand before this miracle and wink at the space."

Rafael Hastings

We are delighted to invite you to our next screening-lecture with special guest José-Carlos Mariátegui.

The process of finding and restoring the film El incondicionado desocultamiento [The Unconditional Unconcealment] (1974), a 35mm film by Peruvian artist Rafael Hastings (1942-2020), illustrates some key challenges in contemporary audiovisual restoration efforts for historical experimental works. This endeavour not only recovered a key piece of Latin American audiovisual heritage but also opens new perspectives on curatorial practice related to restoring and exhibiting a work that was produced half a century ago. Hastings' film, which blends pre-Columbian elements, Oriental mythology, and avant-garde techniques, challenges us today to reinterpret the interplay between art, history, and cultural identity. In addition to the film screening, the presentation will explain the process of archival research, the film restoration, the importance of the film diary that he provided before his death, and how to present such a work in an exhibition space, giving audiences a multilayered opportunity to engage with archival context and material histories. Finally, José-Carlos will also introduce other works of Rafael Hastings, who worked across Super 8, 16mm, 35mm and video, and whose practice was never limited to film.

We will screen five short films including...