LA Review of Books J. Hoberman's "Everything is Now: Primal Happenings, Radical Music, Underground Movies, and the 1960s New York Avant-Garde"
Oct 3, 2025
Join veteran film critic J. Hoberman as he delves into the vibrant 1960s New York avant-garde. He shares insights on the dynamic interplay of art and politics, revealing how underground films and controversial happenings intersected with civil rights movements. Hoberman highlights the transformative roles of female artists and contrasts the era's organic creative communities with today's digital networks. He also discusses censorship's paradoxical impact on visibility and how the counterculture's legacy still resonates today.
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Dematerialization And Process Over Objects
- The period privileged process, performance, and dematerialization over static gallery objects.
- Painters, filmmakers and musicians often sought to subvert commodified art forms.
Research Unearths Hidden Art Worlds
- Hoberman discovered lesser-known groups like the Park Place painters while researching, reshaping his understanding of the period.
- He also found surprising strands like ‘destruction art’ that added comic and nihilist edges.
Liberation Versus Repression, Amplified By Press
- A core tension in the decade was between liberation and repression, with censorship recurrently shaping artistic practice.
- The press, especially alternative outlets, amplified and sometimes protected avant-garde work.
