“Ink & Linda” Documentary Chronicles the Unique Friendship Between a Street Artist and Movement Guru

The captivating documentary Ink & Linda about Los Angeles’ most unlikely street art duo will have its world premiere on Saturday, March 5, 2022 inside the Helms Design Center. Stuart C. Paul’s new feature-length film chronicles the unexpected friendship and collaboration between Inksap (aka Ink), a Vietnamese American urban street artist in his 20s, and Linda Lack, an elder stateswoman of the modern dance scene in her 70s.

Ink & Linda is a feature-length documentary chronicling an unexpected friendship and collaboration between two strangers as they team up to form LA’s most unlikely street art duo. Crossing the boundaries between generations and cultures, their friendship defies the conventions of art and society, exploring what it means to be an artist in today’s world.

What is it about those two? “That is the question I get asked most often,” states Stuart Paul. “Linda and Inksap’s relationship is mystifying to outsiders. People find it difficult to understand what a 20-something street artist and a septuagenarian body movement guru could possibly have in common.”

If the documentary attempts to answer that question, it only does so by stepping back and letting Linda and Ink tell their story — for the tale of how they came together and where their friendship and partnership has taken them speaks for itself. There is a certain magic at work—a strange synchronicity that, if you allow, can convince you there is more to this world than random chance.

Linda and Ink’s story is a romance, but their relationship is not romantic. It is a tale of two outsiders from different worlds who found meaning within one another. As much as Linda is a mentor, guiding her young protégé to discover the courage to embrace his authentic self, Ink is also a teacher, ushering the dancer into the world of street art and awakening her youthful spirit of rebellion. Their connection goes beyond the streets of Los Angeles, reaching back decades to its beginnings when Ink’s family fled the Vietnam War as refugees.

In a time when the world is only getting more divisive, this is a film that breaks down barriers and reminds us that there is more that unites than divides us. It crosses the boundaries of generations, artistic disciplines, cultures, social norms, and even legality.

Street art is an act of rebellion. What they do is illegal, cloaked under the cover of night. The streets, rooftops, and walls of the city comprise their canvas; their audience is every passerby. Paul’s hope with this film is to “capture a piece of the intimacy, trust, excitement, and spontaneous combustion” he witnessed between the artists. “For Ink and Linda, art and love are one in the same,” he shared. “And if art is an act of revolution, then love is the most revolutionary of acts.”

The Helms Design Center events—on March 5, 6, 11, 12, and 13—will be a multi-dimensional presentation from 6:00 – 9:30pm featuring an installation of the artists’ shared street art. Nightly screenings of Ink & Linda will be followed by a Q & A, an artist reception, and a live and intimate demonstration revealing Inksap and Lack’s artistic process. An exhibition of Ink’s work will also be on display. The Helms events are free, but guests must reserve tickets here. The gallery is located in Studio A inside Helms Design Center.

A few weeks later, on March 24, Ink & Linda will screen during the opening night of Dance Camera West’s annual screendance festival held that weekend at 2220 Arts & Archives in Los Angeles at 7:00pm. Tickets are $15 (or $100 for a festival pass). For tickets and more information, please visit http://www.dancecamerawest.org/2220arts.

For more information on Ink & Linda visit https://inkandlinda.com/.