Director Michael Sladek wishes he could have written a character as rich and compelling as Mark Kostabi, the media obsessed imp of the art world.
So Sladek did the next best thing – he started following Kostabi around with a camera crew.
“Con Artist,” the result of Sladek’s attempt to capture the many shades of Kostabi, is currently playing at the Starz Denver Film Festival.
The documentary chronicles Kostabi’s unconventional rise in the art community, an ascent set in motion by Andy Warhol and his media tweaking mindset.
Kostabi’s persona became his palette – even if he only touched his canvases long enough to sign his name to them. Who needs authenticity when the art world is far more interested in name recognition?
Sladek, a Denver native with deep local roots, said he had little problem coaxing his subject matter to star in his film.
“He looked at anybody putting him in front of the camera as a good thing,” Sladek says. “He’s extremely media savvy, and he’s interested in controlling the direction of things.”
Part of the film features Kostabi trying to juice the drama for the film, but by exposing those snippets Sladek kept control of the finished product.
Some of the art critics interviewed on screen during “Con Artist” has precious little good to say about the film’s subject matter.
That posed a challenge for Sladek.
“You’re always looking for elements of a character that are positive. I’m trying to find something people can latch onto,” he says of a subject many people will find hard to embrace.
The artist wasn’t happy when he saw the finished film, according to Sladek.
“He was really shocked at some of the negative things people had to say about him,” Sladek says. The artist and entrepreneur also says he was unaware of his father’s full past, part of which is included in the film. The elder Kostabi once served in the German army during World War II.
It took Kostabi another look at the film, along with an appreciative crowd at the recent Tribeca Film Festival, to reconsider his position.
“Since then he’s seen in 12 more times,” Sladek says.
“Con Artist” is as accessible as Kostabi’s slickly packaged art. The film uses a melange of uptempo music, from ‘80s appropriate punk rock to classical pieces, to buoy a narrative that’s already infused with Kostabi’s irrepressible presence.
“I wanted the music up front in many ways to keep the momentum going forward,” he says of the musical choices.
Sladek is working the festival circuit to gain attention for “Con Artist,” and he’s optimistic that his small film can ultimately make an impact in theaters.
“It’s not packed with massive stars, and it’s not a given that people will rush out and see it,” he says. “It’s all about finding those niche audiences in every community. Put them all together and it’s a large audience.”
(Photo: Artist Mark Kostabi, left, created a name for himself by elevating his personality over his canvases, an evolution captured in the new documentary “Con Artist.” Photo courtesy of the Starz Denver Film Festival)
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