The film still from the Cremaster series shows a blonde, pale made-up woman sitting under a table with a white tablecloth. She is wearing a white negligee with light-coloured suspenders, has her legs spread out in front of her and covers her crotch, but looks defiantly towards the camera. Dark grapes are arranged in front of her as a symbol.

Filmmuseum Munich

Matthew Barney: CREMASTER 4 and 1

November 9 – November 10, 2000

Matthew Barney's opulent five-part CREMASTER cycle handles the subject of biological and psychological processes of creation.

The American artist has worked on the production of this monumental film series since 1994. It depicts highly complex levels of action that connect historical and mythical events with architectural concepts and biological models. The cycle does not begin in chronological order, but with CREMASTER 4 (1994), followed by CREMASTER 1 (1995). Not only did Barney write the script and direct the CREMASTER cycle, he always took on one of the leading roles.
The title refers to the Latin term for the cremaster muscle, which raises and lowers the testes. In response to external stimuli, this muscle causes a contraction that cannot be deliberately influenced.

Although every film can be viewed as an independent artwork, each is simultaneously part of a closed cycle consisting of the remaining films. In cooperation with Sammlung Goetz, the Filmmuseum is showing the first two parts from the CREMASTER cycle.