The Neistat Brothers, Van and Casey, were born in 1975 and 1981 respectively and live and work in New York. They have been collaborating on film projects since 2001, participating in festivals such as Rooftop Films Montreal, Montreal (2005); Optica Film Festival, Spain (2005); Monitor Film Series, Tokyo (2003); Rotterdam Architectural Film Festival, Rotterdam (2003); and Rockstar Games Upload Festival, New York (2002). Casey and Van also participated in the Sao Paolo Biennial, Sao Paolo, Brazil (2004) and Miami Art Basel, Miami (2003).<\/p>\n
Viewer\u2019s may recoil at the use of animals in some of these works, or dismiss them as mere adolescent inquiry. The Neistat Brothers, however, are quick to point out that their methods echo those employed in everyday domestic scenarios and scientific environments. These unsettling scenes, set against a pristine background and ambient soundtrack, are designed to make us squirm, and question… [T]he Brothers\u2019 juvenile antics – such as reckless motorcycle racing and playing with fire – in[voke] the style of the recently popular Jackass. Equally provocative, these works continue the Brothers critique of consumer culture, playing up to the unashamedly indulgent and often ridiculous entertainment propagated by today\u2019s television and movie networks and forcing us to question what we, the audience, will choose to endure and consume. Whether masked as art or openly subscribing to popular cultural trends, the Neistat Brothers\u2019 films carry the viewer to an edge of curiosity and repulsion, pleasure and pain, shock and awe, right and wrong. For further viewing of their works, see www.neistat.com<\/a>. <\/p>\n