By Joyce Kryszak
Buffalo, NY – Local art professor Steven Kurtz made national headlines thee years ago when he was arrested for the biological materials used in his exhibits. Opening Friday night in Buffalo is a documentary capturing his story as it continues to unfold.
Kurtz's fate is still unknown as he awaits trial on federal charges of mail fraud. That was all that was left of the arrest that originally accused Kurtz of using dangerous materials in his bio-art that explored issues such as genetically modified foods and germ warfare. But documentary film-maker Lynn Hershman Leeson didn't wait for the conclusion to be written before making "Strange Culture."
The film opens at the Market Arcade Theatre in Buffalo Friday night, in advance of national distribution. But it premiered earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival, and opened the Human Rights Festival at Lincoln Center.
The film is a hybrid of interviews and re-enactments that shed a sympathetic light on the case. It tells of FBI agents descending on the popular art teacher on the day of his wife's death.
Hershman Leeson said the case brings censorship into sharp focus. And she says the documentary is intended to do more than just tell a story.
"Strange Culture" opens at the Market Arcade Friday and runs through the September 13. Kurtz will be on hand to talk about the ongoing case at 7:00 PM Saturday for a special benefit screening to raise money for his legal fund.
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