IMMA is proud to present Paula Rego at IMMA, a two-part film by director Gar O’Rourke that capture and explore the major retrospective Paula Rego: Obedience & Defiance, curated by Catherine Lampert and shown at IMMA from 18 September 2020 to 25 May 2021.
Born in Portugal in 1935 during the authoritarian dictatorship of António de Oliveira Salazar to anti-fascist parents, Paula Rego’s work is highly personal and politicised. An uncompromising artist of extraordinary imaginative power, Rego redefined figurative art and revolutionised how women are represented.
The first film, Paula Rego at IMMA: Obedience and Defiance, is a journey through the exhibition at IMMA led by the museum’s Senior Curator, Christina Kennedy, and Paula Rego’s son, filmmaker and producer, Nick Willing. In the film, Christina Kennedy guides us through the exhibition revealing some of the principal themes behind Paula Rego’s stunning works, whilst Nick Willing offers us a rare insight into the artist’s personal life, which ultimately informed her work.
The second film, Paula Rego at IMMA: Experienced, invites you to experience the exhibition through the eyes of IMMA’s visitors. Shot in a fly-on-the-wall style, the film gives a unique glimpse into the personal impact of Rego’s work on those who view it, and shows us why she continues to be one of the most important artists working today.
The motivation to commission this film project was led by IMMA’s desire to share this seminal exhibition with our audiences, who – due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic – could only visit the galleries in limited numbers. In this way, the films not only act as an archive of the exhibition itself but also contributes to the institutional memory of IMMA during this pivotal time in our shared history.
During the lockdown in late 2020 IMMA worked with Gar O’Rourke on the short film While Waiting which was also shot within the Paula Rego exhibition. These films represent the beginning of a new initiative by IMMA to commission film-makers to collaborate with the museum in capturing, interpreting and translating what happens at IMMA, past, present and future, with cinematic vision.
