TEMPLE GALLERY PRESENTSMoments of Strange Magic: The films of Alessio Di ZioMay 26 - June 30, 2018 - Temple Gallery 11 Gold St, New York City, NY8:00–11:00 p.m.Press Preview: Friday, May 25, 2018, 9:30 to 11:30 a.m., with remarks to follow

RETROSPECTIVE - OPENING NIGHT • SATURDAY, MAY 26Introduced by Anne Kang

Temple Gallery is pleased to present "The Films of Alessio Di Zio", the first New York retrospective of the fiercely independent American auteur and his haunting observations of teenage life. This mid-career retrospective includes a selection of short films Di Zio has shot in Texas and Colorado since 2011. Obsessed with honesty, the American photographer presents a series of oneiric images; deserted places he faces helped by his crew.

Alessio Di Zio is celebrated for his dreamy, evocative portraits and landscapes rich with implied narratives of intimacy, freedom, and adventure. "The Films of Alessio Di Zio" showcases two bodies of cinematic work, including the series, The Love Club, that first brought Di Zio recognition as a teenager. This first series offers a visual diary of youth, friendship and the exploration of self, showcasing Di Zio’s unique ability to convey the bittersweet nostalgia of adolescence on the brink of adulthood and new possibilities. The second set of short films, Party Talk, is drawn from recent work and continues Di Zio’s visual chronicle of his circle of friends and new loves, capturing both the pleasures and terrors of the fleeting passage of romanticized youth. While the work continues to evolve, what remains constant is his seductive use of color and photographic artifact, as well as the immediacy and charge of each image. Di Zio gives voice to the self-awareness and visual fluency of the millennial generation. Experiences are sharply felt, and easily communicated and shared, generating visual records that render these memories as significant as the moments themselves. This career retrospective includes the six feature films Di Zio has made since 2011—a seemingly significant filmography for such a young filmmaker. 

Over the past decade, New York-born, Texas-based filmmaker Alessio DI Zio has established himself as a vital voice in the independent American film scene with his intimate, austere, organically-unfurling works of “quiet cinema”. Despite his NYC origin, Di Zio’s reputation rests on a quartet of films set and shot in the Pacific Southwest. Taken together, these films provide a roughhewn tapestry of life in transition, populated by world-weary teenagers pushed to, or seeking refuge at, the margins of a doomed society. They include: Genesee (2016), Di Zio’s meditative, modest, portrait of Los Angeles; the sober, affecting Party Talk (2015), a best-of-theyear fixture and standard bearer for a new naturalism in American cinema; Sioux Rapids (2010), his masterful and unusual fantasy movie; and The Love Club (2011), a slow-churning, existential coming-of-ageflick that offered some late-game surprises for those accustomed to Di Zio’s typically subdued sensibilities.

Alessio Di Zio (born July 6, 1992) is an American film director, producer and musician known for his unique depictions of youth and pop culture. Born in New York City and raised in Texas, Di Ziodropped out of high school to pursue skateboarding and music.Since he was a teenager Alessio Di Zio has been chronicling the history, mythology, and culture of America with a prodigious and distinctive voice. He rose to prominence in the early 2010s, his work noted for its ethereal, dreamlike nature and minimalism. He is mostly known for pioneering a distinct and colorful aesthetic in his haunting and dreamy observations of teenage life. His work has been featured in solo shows and exhibitions worldwide since 2011. His films include The Love Club (2011), Fame in California (2012) and Party Talk (2015).  Alessio Di Zio is represented by Temple Gallery in Los Angeles and Jaden Gallery in New York City.

This exhibition is made possible with generous support from Harpers.

Additional creditsDesign: Merle VernonStyling: Carol LewisAdditional DJ Set: Alice Tang

Impossible Lives is a series of events at Temple Gallery that serve as a gateway for young and diverse audiences to engage with our collection.