Putting the “Che” in Cliché

“Chevolution,” a new documentary film by Trisha Ziff and Luis Lopez, was screened at the Tribeca Film Festival last week. As opposed to “Che,” the new Che Guevara film by Steven Soderbergh, Ziff’s film isn’t about Che the man but about Che the image. Chevolution documents the evolution of Alberto Korda Diaz‘ iconic photo of Guevara from a snapshot tacked to the photographer’s wall to the mass-produced figure gracing t-shirts, coffee mugs, and virtually every other ink-receptive item on the market.

As a consumer (and producer) of visual culture, something I find myself thinking regularly about are visual clichés- ideas and images that are overused to the point of having no meaning. Interestingly, the word “cliché” is French for printing plate- something that gets used repeatedly. When looking for an example of visual cliché, it’s hard to imagine one better than the famous image of Che Guevara. It’s been appropriated by the capitalist society as a fashion-friendly symbol of rebellion. In a time when few Americans can point to Cuba on a map, it is ironic that a Cuban revolutionary hero would be so pervasive.

This film looks to be an worthwhile exploration of a visual phenomenon- I’m excited to see it. Release date info doesn’t seem to be available but you can read more about the film at The Gothamist.

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