The Marciano Art Foundation (MAF) is currently hosting BRUCE CONNER / RECORDING ANGEL, a major exhibition dedicated to the pioneering experimental films of the late multidisciplinary artist Bruce Conner. Running from February 21 through July 18, 2026, the exhibition takes place in the Foundation’s Theater Gallery.

Organized by independent curator Douglas Fogle, the showcase brings together seven of Conner’s most iconic film works, representing nearly five decades of his artistic practice. The films are uniquely presented in an alternating sequence across four different screens, emphasizing Conner’s signature manipulation of light, sound, and found footage.

Bruce Conner (1933–2008) is widely recognized as a pioneer of the remix and cutup techniques in filmmaking. Because of his rapid-fire editing style, he has often been called the “father of the music video”. The current exhibition at MAF highlights how his cinematic works functioned as experimental analyses of 20th-century America, exploring themes of consumerism, authoritarianism, and the existential threat of nuclear war.

Visitors to the exhibition will encounter a wide range of Conner’s masterpieces. His foundational 1958 work, A MOVIE, utilizes assemblage techniques to combine clips from Westerns, newsreels of car crashes, and soft-core films, all set to Ottorino Respighi’s “Pines of Rome”. Another legendary meditation, CROSSROADS (1976), features reedited, declassified footage of the 1946 Operation Crossroads underwater atomic bomb tests at Bikini Atoll, accompanied by a haunting score from Patrick Gleeson and Terry Riley.

Conner’s intimate connection between sound and image is further demonstrated in BREAKAWAY (1966) and LOOKING FOR MUSHROOMS (1959-1967), which feature music by choreographer Toni Basil and The Beatles, respectively. Additionally, MONGOLOID (1978) and AMERICA IS WAITING (1981) repurposed industrial and educational films to accompany tracks by Devo, as well as Brian Eno and David Byrne, subverting traditional narratives of the American Dream. The exhibition culminates with THREE SCREEN RAY (2006), a late-career revisiting of his 1961 film COSMIC RAY, acting as an explosive, three-screen visual homage to rhythm and blues musician Ray Charles.

Conner’s deep ties to American counterculture—from the 1950s Beat poets to the punk scenes of the 1970s and 80s—infused his work with a biting wit and revolutionary spirit. As noted by the Foundation, his artistic concerns regarding conformity and power are just as vital today as they were when the films were created.

BRUCE CONNER / RECORDING ANGEL will be on view until July 18, 2026. Tickets for admission to the Marciano Art Foundation, located in Los Angeles, are completely free on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information or to reserve tickets, visitors can go to marcianoartfoundation.org.

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