Freedom from Everything

"Freedom＇s just another word for nothing left to lose," sang Janis Joplin. The COVID-19 pandemic brought greater clarity to how precarious our capitalist model has become for those surviving in gig economies, where home ownership and a living wage are bygone privileges of baby boomers. For Mike Hoolboom, the lockdowns and isolation gave him time to develop a personal treatise that borrows from German artist Hito Steyerl＇s essay "Freedom from Everything." Reflecting on his own experience of the AIDS pandemic in the 80s and the neoliberal agenda that has since spread like a virus, Hoolboom＇s voice guides us through a provocative thesis, enhanced by his brilliant ability to assemble found footage from 8mm film to video games and everything in between. An intoxicating cocktail of clips blends Margaret Thatcher and James Baldwin with George Michael and David Hasselhoff, resulting in a time-warping salve for our image-saturated culture.