Yevgeny Yufit and Vladimir Maslov’s Silver Heads (1999) is a striking example of Necrorealism—a movement in Soviet and Russian nonconformist cinema and art of the 1980s and 1990s focused on the aesthetics of death and decay.

In Silver Heads, a group of scientists venture into the woods to conduct a secret experiment, aiming to crossbreed a human with a tree. Their ambition is to create a hybrid human that is long-lived, low-maintenance, and resistant to hostile environments. The scientists conduct the experiment on themselves. Contrary to their expectations, however, the forest is not entirely deserted: it is inhabited by strange creatures left behind after a previous experiment.

Silver Heads warns against dreams of perfection and plunges into the grotesque heart of human ambition. The film is screened to complement Erika Scott’s exhibition Cambium Itch, named for the plant tissue layer from which cells differentiate into structures that transport nutrients and water—and whose interruption means death. Drawing on Necrorealism’s absurdity, Scott penetrates the woody walls of the IMA to tap into this cambium layer, scratching a subdermal itch.

Silver Heads will be introduced by Madeline Brewer, IMA’s Program Manager. Spaces are limited. Booking is recommended.

82 minutes. English subtitles.