Dutch Doc Film ‘White Balls on Walls’ About Running an Art Museum

Dutch Doc Film ‘White Balls on Walls’ About Running an Art Museum

by Alex Billington
March 27, 2023
Source: YouTube

“Should we be politically incorrect?” Icarus Films has revealed an official US trailer for an intriguing doc from The Netherlands titled White Balls on Walls. If that title doesn’t pique your interest, perhaps the concept and the conversation within it will. “What do we do with an art history where all the works are made by men? Join the meetings as the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam tries to bring art into a new age. It is wise and funny to listen to in an elegant film that sets the bar high.” The film premiered at the IDFA Film Festival in Amsterdam last year, and recently stopped by CPH:DOX this month, before opening in the US this May. I’m curious to see how they handle this problem and answer questions that are brought up about culture, art, and curation. “In a smart and understatedly witty film that emphasises nuance and complexity over quick slogans and easy solutions, director Sarah Vos has had full access to the conversations at the world-renowned exhibition space at a time when culture is changing.” Enjoy the trailer & watch for it soon.

Here’s the official US trailer (+ poster) for Sarah Vos’ doc White Balls on Walls, direct from YouTube:

The slogan “Meet the Icons of Modern Art” needs to be stripped off the wall of the Stedelijk, Amsterdam’s Museum of Modern Art. Because precisely who these icons of modern art are is very much the question… Who gets to decide? And who loses out? In 2019, when director Sarah Vos started shooting her film, more than 90% of the art at the Stedelijk was made by white men. That must change, museum director Rein Wolfs believes. But it’s easier said than done—as becomes clear when the film’s director Sarah Vos follows Wolfs and his team as they strive for greater diversity in the collection, as well as among their staff. This film is more than a look behind the scenes at a museum: it magnificently encapsulates the struggles that are engaging many historical and cultural institutions. White Balls on Walls is directed by Dutch writer / filmmaker Sarah Vos, director of the doc films Curaçao, Hier ben ik, De Zaak Tuitjenhorn, and Koning op de Dam previously. This initially premiered at the 2022 IDFA Film Festival last year. Icarus Films will debut White Balls on Walls in select US theaters starting May 26th, 2023. For more info, visit their official site.

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