transit
the nobel peace center is currently showing an exhibit called transit, a photo display of refugees in different countries. the most interesting facts presented in the exhibit were the numbers of refugees in various countries (in 2010): Refugees from Columbia: 454 088 Refugees in Columbia from other countries: 300 Refugees from Afghanistan: 2 917 535 Refugees in Afghanistan from other … Read More
operaen
I’ve visited the Oslo opera house many times but have never been tempted enough by any of its concerts to actually see the main music hall inside. So when they held an open house this weekend, I jumped at the chance to go visit. It’s beautiful inside, lots of smooth lines and dark wood, and I really liked the “centerpiece” … Read More
lust & last
there are lots of ads around Stockholm consisting of pixelated 18th-century oil paintings—a marketing ploy by the national museum for their lust & last (“lust & vice”) exhibit. according to the museum: The exhibition Lust & Vice shows examples of how sexuality, virtue and sin have been depicted in art since the 16th century – from an age when the Church … Read More
how Ai Weiwei got his name
well, this is according to Wikipedia, but it’s cool if true: Ai Weiwei’s father was a famous Chinese poet called Aì Qīng (艾青). But that wasn’t his real name; his original name was Jiang Zhenghan (蒋正涵), styled Jiang Haicheng (蒋海澄)–in addition to his numerous pen names. Anyway, this poet was tortured and imprisoned in 1932 for opposing the Kuomintang (KMT) party. While … Read More
the artist is present
Addition: A NY Times article about sitting with Marina MoMA is posting portraits of those who sit across the artist on their Flickr feed, here: MoMA’s current exhibit, Marina Abramovic: The Artist Is Present, created quite a stir recently–resulting in the museum having to revoke one man’s 30-year membership. I read the New Yorker’s backgrounder on Abramovic a couple of … Read More
lincoln center
I remember the first time I biked past here (I was going south on Broadway), how this building just stunned me. Alice Tully hall–one of the main concert halls of the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts–just re-opened this year, while the rest of the Center is still undergoing its facelift after 50 years in the city. You can read … Read More
variations on glenn gould
oh yeah, I forgot to mention I went to the variations on glenn gould concert at radio-canada yesterday. it was kinda lame. I was expecting to be able to see the montreal pianist perform–but when we arrived there was nary a piano in sight. we watched a video montage of the 6-pianists-in-their-6-cities with crappy video and cheesy landscape shots fading … Read More
opening night at BKK film fest
…or is it BKK film fets? here’s the website, but the real lowdown is here (the hollywood reporter)–including coups, red-carpets and money troubles.