This photograph shows a half-lying leopard human lady, who has the legs, face and tail of a leopard and who otherwise has human attributes. Blood can be seen on her mouth and her false, claw-like fingernails. She is in a brightly lit white room on a pedestal.

Filmmuseum Munich

Matthew Barney: CREMASTER Cycle

July 8 – July 24, 2004

"An athlete and an intellectual, a storyteller and simultaneously a sculptor and costume designer with a love of detail – many completely contrasting qualities converge in Matthew Barney." (Ingvild Goetz)

Matthew Barney began working on his monumental CREMASTER cycle, a five-part film project, in 1994. The work is accompanied by sculptures, photographs and drawings. The CREMASTER cycle depicts highly complex levels of action that connect historical and mythical events with architectural concepts and biological models. Not only did Barney write the script and direct the CREMASTER cycle, he always took on one of the leading roles.

Although each film can be viewed as an independent artwork, it simultaneously forms a closed system together with the other parts. 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.

Because the cycle was not produced in chronological order, but is based on a biological model, it can be approached in various manners. By presenting the individual films of the CREMASTER cycle both chronologically as well as numerically, the Filmmuseum allowes viewers to select their desired approach to this work from the Sammlung Goetz holdings.

Chronological presentation:
CREMASTER 4, 1994, und CREMASTER 1, 1995
July 9, 2004, 21.00
CREMASTER 5, 1997, und CREMASTER 2, 1999
July 10, 2004, 21.00
CREMASTER 3, 2002
July 11, 2004, 21.00

Numerical presentation:
CREMASTER 1, 1995 und CREMASTER 2, 1999
July 23, 2004, 21.00
CREMASTER 3, 2002
July 24, 2004, 21.00
CREMASTER 4, 1994 und CREMASTER 5, 1997
July 25, 2004, 21.00