Have You Seen The Listers?

​”Have You Seen The Listers?” is equal parts family home videos, artist biographical film and an apology message to Anthony Lister’s ex wife Annika and his children. We saw the film at Cinema Nova. Nova offer an art on screen series of films, so make sure you check them out. Metro Gallery is also currently showing a new series from Anthony Lister, so it seemed like a serendipitous event. “Have You Seen The Listers?” documents Lister’s rise to meteoric contemporary art fame from his Brisbane beginnings to his New York based iconic superhero series and ends with an uncomfortable (and slightly drawn out) series of apologies and redemption-seeking monologues and artworks in the wake of a narcotic and family break down. The intimate glimpses and insight into this popular artists career and practice; his life and career overseas, battle with councils and censorship and his views on what “art is” is valuable and revealing. The film uses nostalgia through the use of his own copious family videos (Anthony Lister is a serial documenter) to draw us along the journey, encapsulating an intimacy which exists between exploitation (the idea of consent with his children’s appearances is semi-concerning) and painful revelation. The heartbreaking and tender story being told here is one of fatherhood, family and substance abuse. the catalyst for the creation of the film almost seems to stem from Lister’s need to apologize to Annika and his children. The final 20 minutes of the film excruciatingly show Lister attempting to make amends for things through painting a series of family portrait artworks. Almost, like a child, he’s unaware of the bigger problems that perhaps a painted portrait and jumping castle can not fix. The film almost unfortunately focuses on this pseudo-reality-TV family drama, and the real meat of why Lister makes art remains mostly unanswered. The only conclusion we can come to is that it fulled the fame, drugs, parties, travel, admiration and adoration that we all secretly, (and not so lucidly as Lister), want. I love Lister’s paintings, but this film is not about them. It gives us a mere insight into his studio practice, and as engrossing as that is, art films need to tell us about an artists work and why they make that work. This is a public love letter. An engrossing, destructive, insightful, punk, drug-filled love letter, and a must-see for any fan of Lister or contemporary Australian art. The film has limited screenings, so make sure you jump on a viewing sooner than later. Update: Anthony Lister has been charged with raping four women and tattooing another without consent. (Source: The Guardian)