Jack Smith & the Destruction of Atlantis

Mary Jordan’s portrait of Smith, the little-remembered pre-Warhol Renaissance man of ’60s pop art, is a testament to a fascinating man whose life and art remain impossible to distinguish from one another. A vehement opponent of capitalist ‘landlordism’, Smith was so disturbed by the commodification of his brazen ‘Flaming Creatures’ that he never again completed a work of art – for this ornery Technicolor saint of post-Hollywood baroque, the performance itself was all. Jordan’s film is a glorious visual achievement in its own right, as well as part of the rancorous ongoing dispute over Smith’s legacy.