Cob Gallery and artist Faye Wei Wei worked with filmmaker Andrè Bato to produce short film set in Athens entitled 'Valentine: Rain Fell In My Dreams Last Night, This Morning The Streets Are Dry' which premiered on Nowness.
Valentine
Dive deep into a hypnotic stream of consciousness in this profile of Chinese artist Faye Wei Wei
Italian-born filmmaker Andre Bato's latest film stems from a series of conversations between himself and British Chinese artist Faye Wei Wei, where mythical creatures such as the Fisher King and self-aware sea urchins rise to the surface in a seductive stream of consciousness—a sensory melting-pot of gently bobbing thoughts and gorgeous imagery. Shot while Wei Wei was preparing for an exhibition in Athens, Bato's visual poem takes the form of a blissed out theatre play, replete with acts, preludes and intermissions, diving deep into the artist's gentle dreams.
Speaking about his hypnogogic journey with Wei Wei, Bato explains: "The film captures the intricately romantic and charming world of Faye Wei Wei and her paintings. Our conversations revealed all the environments, characters, and iconography that are included in her imagery, all of which are drawn from her own imaginary theatre play, as shapes that Faye takes on as soon as her oil hits the canvas."
Produced by Maximilian Kurzweil and Cob Gallery.
