Samstag and Adelaide Film Festival commission new work from Soda_Jerk

Released in 2018, Terror Nullius, is a 54-minute long audio visual pastiche that blends iconic pop culture figures from Mad Max, Muriel’s Wedding, Romper Stomper and Priscilla: Queen of the Desert alongside the likes of Josh Thomas, Pauline Hanson and Olivia Newton John to create a subversive and satirical commentary on modern Australia. Although embraced by audiences and critics, the work’s subversive content saw the Ian Potter Cultural Trust controversially distance itself from the project ahead of its premiere at ACMI – despite providing $100,00 in funding. It later screened in Adelaide as part of the 2018 Adelaide Film Festival.

Terror Nullius trailer

For their next work, siblings and collaborators Dominique and Dan Angeloro will turn their gaze to the wide-reaching cultural effects of the internet with the newly commissioned Netsploits. Once again the pair will omnivorously draw on material from a wide range of sources including memes, Soviet spy films, 90s sitcoms and ‘internet instructional VHS’ for the project.

“We are thrilled to announce Soda_Jerk as the recipients of this major commission,” says Samstag Museum of Art Director Erica Green. “It’s an honour to support this important contemporary art collective to realise a major new work. The new piece will premiere in 2020 Soda_Jerk maintain a slow and painstaking practice that requires a long development timeline, and the investment on the part of cultural institutions is vital in enabling these artists to realise such an ambitious project.

“For audiences it will be an opportunity to experience the juggernaut of Soda_Jerk as they bring their unique perspective to reflect on the global historical moment in which we find ourselves.”

Netsploits is the latest in a string of visual works to be backed by the Adelaide Film Festival, with Hotel Mumbai, Animals and Top End Wedding all hitting Australian screens this year after receiving funding from the festival.

Netsploits will make its debut as part of the Adelaide Film Festival in 2020, accompanied by a survey exhibition of Soda_Jerk’s 17-year practice at the Samstag Museum of Art.

unisa.edu.au/samstagmuseum
adelaidefilmfestival.org/