Douglas Gordon : i had nowhere to go

Douglas Gordon (*1966) is one of the most important contemporary video artists. With his film I Had Nowhere To Go, he has created a very special contribution to Documenta 14. Based on the literary journal of the well-known filmmaker Jonas Mekas, Gordon’s film depicts how Mekas fled his home in Lithuania to escape the Nazis and then emigrated to America after years in so-called Camps for Displaced Persons. But Douglas Gordon’s film is not simply a retelling, not an adaptation. It is rather his artistic reaction to the impressive book and its approach to remembering atrocities. The accompanying publication presents a selection of film stills along with text excerpts from Jonas Meka’s accounts.