The Aesthetics of the Surface: Harmony Korine and the Future of Cinema

Harmony Korine has consistently avoided meaning and conventional linear narrative in his films, understanding cinema primarily as a direct experience or atmosphere. His works operate on the boundary between art and trash and between documentary and fiction, exploring marginal practices and the excessive fantasies of contemporary popular culture. In recent years, he has expanded beyond film, developing a post-cinematic practice that intersects with the logic of video games and contemporary visual hyperproduction, employing tools such as game engines and artificial intelligence. By adapting his established strategies to these conditions, Korine develops creative approaches attuned to the “endless now,” pointing to the forms and logics that cinema may assume in the future.

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