RESTLESS
During a brief but intense career that spanned the 1980s, Keith Haring spent most of his time traveling and working in dozens of cities around the world. It was in a remote fishing village on the coast of Brazil that he found a much-needed change of pace for his jet-setting life. In several month-long trips to Serra Grande, he relaxed with a group of artist friends creating drawings and paintings that were both personal and informal. In Brazil he would spend his days creating murals at Kenny Scharf’s house, painting fisherman shacks along the beach and making drawings inspired by the local landscape and people.
“RESTLESS – KEITH HARING IN BRAZIL” revisits his experience and uncovers for the first time some of the works created at the time. The 35-min film examines Haring’s relationship with language and creativity while Kenny Scharf brings back to life a mural created by the artist in 1985. The rescue of the fading painting serves as the starting point for an intimate portrait about family, friendship and the power of art. Not a conventional documentary, “RESTLESS” offers an intimate look at a rarely seen side of the artist. The story is told in candid conversations with some of his closest friends and through original recordings, drawings and objects from Haring’s personal collection.
RESTLESS - SHORT FILM - 35 MINS
ABOUT KEITH HARING
Keith Haring was born on May 4, 1958 in Reading, Pennsylvania. In 1978 he moved to New York City and enrolled in the School of Visual Arts (SVA), where he found a thriving alternative art community that was developing outside the gallery and museum system. Here he became friends with fellow artists Kenny Scharf and Jean-Michel Basquiat, as well as the musicians, performance artists and graffiti writers. Between 1980 and 1989, Haring achieved international recognition and participated in numerous group and solo exhibitions.
He produced more than 50 public artworks between 1982 and 1989, in dozens of cities around the world, many of which were created for charities, hospitals, children’s day care centers and orphanages. He was highly sought after to participate in collaborative projects and worked with artists and performers as diverse as Madonna, Grace Jones, Bill T. Jones, William Burroughs, Timothy Leary, Jenny Holzer, Yoko Ono and Andy Warhol. In April 1986, Haring opened the Pop Shop, a retail store in Soho selling T-shirts, toys, posters, buttons, and magnets bearing his images. During a brief but intense career that spanned the 1980s, Haring’s work was featured in over 100 solo and group exhibitions.
Keith Haring died of AIDS related complications at the age of 31 on February 16, 1990. The work of Keith Haring can be seen today in the exhibitions and collections of major museums around the world.
ABOUT THE PRODUCTION
Directed by Guto Barra (“Beyond Ipanema – Brazilian Waves in Global Music”, “Clash of Cultures”) and Gisela Matta (“Lugar (In)Comum”, “ModMTV”), “RESTLESS” was produced by PLANET POP/CHOCOLATE PRODUCTIONS in cooperation with The Keith Haring Foundation. Shot on location in Brazil, New York City, and Paris, the film features the artists Kenny Scharf and Bruno Schmidt.
