Charles Atlas has taken Los Angeles by storm. Over the past week, several galleries and museums in the city screened films by the pioneering video artist, film director, lighting and set designer. Atlas is widely credited for developing media-dance or “dance for camera”, closely following dancers through their motions in an elaborate set, creating an involved and dynamic viewing experience rather than one that is static and fixed.

Atlas’s films are characteristically exuberant, filled with wild colors, outlandish costumes, and sets straight out of Pee Wee’s Playhouse. They are highly cinematic yet often non-narrative. Atlas also incorporated special effects in postproduction into his films of the early 1980s, highly innovative for the time. The nine-day series of screenings in Los Angeles is part of ATLAS IN LA:

ATLAS IN LA is a nine-day festival of film screenings of work by internationally exhibited filmmaker Charles Atlas, which will occur March 10th-19th at eight venues around Los Angeles. The festival will kick-off with Atlas taking the stage at the Hammer Museum to discuss his career as a collaborator, filmmaker and video artist. The programming for each venue will align with its mission and scope. The programs at Echo Park Film Center and Los Angeles Filmforum focus on narrative driven experimental film, while the films at 356 Mission, Cal Arts, Human Resources and Park View focus more on Atlas relationship to the collaboration with choreographers and dancers. The series of films shown at ONE Archives will situate itself within their mission to engage with queer history. Accompanying his screening his screening at 356 Mission/Ooga Booga will be a book release of Charles Atlas’ first monograph, published by Prestel.

Atlas’ practice is firmly rooted in the moving image, and he is most famous for works that blur the line between experimental dance documentation and performance for the camera. In his 40-year career, he has produced dance films, experimental videos and documentary features. Atlas has collaborated extensively with other artists, dancers and choreographers, including Marina Abramovic, Antony and the Johnsons, Leigh Bowery, Michael Clark, Merce Cunningham, and Yvonne Rainer. Atlas has exhibited internationally at Tate Modern, Centre Pompidou, De Hallen, South London Gallery, SALT Istanbul, Walker Art Center, and he has been included in four Whitney Biennials including 2012, but his work has rarely screened in Los Angeles. ATLAS IN LA is an opportunity to expose the city of Los Angeles to many more of Atlas’ films and videos.