KIDS, by Larry Clark

June 9 – KIDS, 1995 
91 minutes
“I don’t try to be controversial, I just try to be honest and tell the truth about life. Coming from the art world, I never think there are things you can’t do or show. I think that Hollywood films are really underestimating their audience. I’ve been an artist for many, many years. I’m not interested in making films to make money. I’m interested in making work that I’m satisfied with, showing people’s lives that aren’t shown. If I could see this anywhere else, I wouldn’t have to make these films.” Larry Clark

The Modern recently acquired photographs from artist Larry Clark’s Tulsa Portfolio, 1971, that launched a new and highly influential style in photography – decidedly subjective, offering a lived experience rather than one merely observed.

Clark’s directorial debut, KIDS, 1995, established his reputation as one of the most controversial and influential filmmakers of our time. Seen as an “instant classic” and a “wake-up call” upon its release, KIDS is centered on a day in the life of a group of sexually active teenagers in New York City and their unrestrained behavior toward sex and substance abuse (alcohol and other drugs) during the height of the AIDS epidemic in the mid-1990s. The screenplay is by Larry Clark and Harmony Korine, based on the story written by Clark and Jim Lewis. The film, starring Leo Fitzpatrick, Justin Pierce, and Chloë Sevigny, was initially given a NC-17 rating from the Motion Picture Association but was later released without a rating.

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Tuesday Evenings at the Modern: Films is a new summer program. As an extension of the very popular lecture series Tuesday Evenings at the Modern, which is offered 10 weeks in the spring and fall of each year, this film-based weekly program runs through the summer months and strives to continue the consideration of ideas and issues pertaining to the art and architecture of the Modern and to contemporary art in general.

Selections for screenings are related to or recommended by artists and speakers who have participated in the lecture series or are otherwise affiliated with the museum. There is nothing particularly prescriptive about the line-up, but as with the lecture series, themes can be found and connections made. To create a full experience, these presentations include a brief introduction and opportunity for discussion following the films.

Seating is available in the Modern’s auditorium at 6:30 pm, and the program runs from 7 pm to no later than 9 pm. The museum’s galleries and Café Modern are open until 7 pm on Tuesdays during the run of Tuesday Evenings at the Modern: Films.

This program is free and open to the public. Up to two free tickets can be obtained at the admission desk beginning at 5 pm the day of the screening.