Like the
traditional fairy tales from which the
film takes its title, Once Upon a Time in Venice has a storyteller, in the form of John (Thomas Middleditch), a nerdy intern / protégé for ex-LAPD cop Steve Ford (Willis), a not - very - successful private - eye
sliding further into the underworld morass he mostly frequents.
The
film and video works in the collection mark the dramatic shift that occurred at that moment, as artists challenged the
traditional mediums of painting and sculpture by creating performances,
film installations, videos,
slide works, and
films.