Burden

Documentarists Timothy Marrinan and Richard Dewey were fortunate enough to interview Chris Burden shortly before his death at the age of 69 in 2015, and they do a decent job of explaining what this contentious artist sought to achieve and why his intentions weren't always understood. British critic Brian Sewell was a vociferous detractor and many will be puzzled by the purpose of some of the stunt pieces that forged Burden's reputation as "the Evel Knievel of the art world". The co-directors cogently discuss pieces that saw Burden nailed to a Volkswagen, await potential electrocution and being shot at with live ammunition. Yet, they fail satisfactorily to chronicle his lengthy lost weekend and the relocation to a remote hideaway in Topanga Canyon that presaged the creative shift culminating in such sublime giant sculptures as Metropolis II and Urban Light. The contributions of cronies, critics and contemporaries are frustratingly gnomic. But the archive footage is fascinating, as are Burden's reticent insights into art posing questions without necessarily having a purpose.