“Joe the Lion”—David Bowie’s song about Chris Burden—is a tribute to the seminal performance artist’s early days, when his body was a laboratory and canvas for bullets, nails, starvation, and potential electrocution. As a student at UC Irvine, Burden didn’t wait around for the bullies; he stuffed himself into a locker. Hitting his heyday during the rise of video art, his pieces have been well-documented, and today his Urban Light sculpture is the number one selfie spot in Los Angeles.

Join Richard Dewey and Timothy Marrinan at the LACMA screening of their 2016 documentary BURDEN, followed by a conversation with the directors.

BURDEN features interviews with Marina Abramovic, Ed Moses, Alexis Smith, Larry Bell, Billy Al Benston, Robert Irwin, Barbara Smith, Peter Schjeldahl, Jonathan Gold, Ed Ruscha, Paul Schimmel, Frank Gehry, Christopher Knight, and the late Vito Acconci.

BURDEN, Thursday, May 4, at 7:30 pm.

BING THEATER, LACMA, 5905 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles.

eventbrite.com/e/free-screening-burden-tickets-33719463824

Chris Burden, post-performance
Image credit: Lewright