Absolut Warhola
Encyclopedia
Absolut Warhola is a 2001 film directed by Stanislaw Mucha about Andy Warhol
's extended family, whom he never met, from rural Slovakia
.
The film follows the filmmakers as they travel through eastern Slovakia
to interview Warhol's surviving relatives, ethnic-Ruthenians
living near the Polish border in Miková
, and to visit the Andy Warhol Museum of Modern Art
in Medzilaborce
. The museum is shown to be in a poor state, with the museum director and staff openly soliciting donations from the viewer and giving out the museum's bank account details.
The living situation in the underdeveloped rural east of Slovakia
prior to EU-membership is also shown. The film also notes the levels of homophobia still present in this part of the world, with several of Warhol's relatives openly criticizing the "rumours" of his sexuality (although his homosexuality is common knowledge in the West). One man even goes as far to suggest that Valerie Solanis, the radical feminist and misandrist who attempted to assassinate Warhol, was in fact a spurred former lover.
Andy Warhol
Andrew Warhola , known as Andy Warhol, was an American painter, printmaker, and filmmaker who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art...
's extended family, whom he never met, from rural Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
.
The film follows the filmmakers as they travel through eastern Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
to interview Warhol's surviving relatives, ethnic-Ruthenians
Ruthenians
The name Ruthenian |Rus']]) is a culturally loaded term and has different meanings according to the context in which it is used. Initially, it was the ethnonym used for the East Slavic peoples who lived in Rus'. Later it was used predominantly for Ukrainians...
living near the Polish border in Miková
Miková
Miková or Mikó in Hungarian, is a village and municipality in the former Eperjes County of the Kingdom of Hungary. The area was transferred to the newly formed Czechoslovakia in 1920 following the Treaty of Trianon...
, and to visit the Andy Warhol Museum of Modern Art
Andy Warhol Museum of Modern Art
The Andy Warhol Museum of Modern Art in Medzilaborce, Slovakia was established in 1991 by the American family of the artist Andy Warhol and the Slovak Ministry of Culture...
in Medzilaborce
Medzilaborce
Medzilaborce is a town in northeastern Slovakia close to the border with Poland, located near the towns of Sanok and Bukowsko . Its population is approximately 6,600.-Characteristics:...
. The museum is shown to be in a poor state, with the museum director and staff openly soliciting donations from the viewer and giving out the museum's bank account details.
The living situation in the underdeveloped rural east of Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
prior to EU-membership is also shown. The film also notes the levels of homophobia still present in this part of the world, with several of Warhol's relatives openly criticizing the "rumours" of his sexuality (although his homosexuality is common knowledge in the West). One man even goes as far to suggest that Valerie Solanis, the radical feminist and misandrist who attempted to assassinate Warhol, was in fact a spurred former lover.