2013

Unsound coming to London

2 July 2013

One of our favourite music festivals, Unsound, begun in Krakow has been spreading itself wide, with festivals popping up in Tbilisi and New York. This will be the first time the programme hits London and it will be running from Thursday, September 26, to Sunday, September 29.

Less global than the Polish arm of the event, this one will feature mostly Polish and UK artists like Pianohooligan, presenting his homage to Polish composer Penderecki, Robert Piotrowicz and Anna ZaradnyDemdike Stare and composer Michael England present last year’s Unsound commission Concealed with Sinfonietta Cracovia, as well as producer Forest Swords. That will be happening just a month ahead of the main event in Krakow. See the Unsound website for more details. **

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RCA Graduate Shows 2013

18 June 2013

Over 500 students from over 40 countries will be exhibiting their work across media at the Royal College of Art from Thursday, June 20 to Sunday, June 30. Spread across their Battersea and Kensington campuses it will feature works across Painting, Sculpture and Photography Ceramics & Glass and Goldsmithing, Design Engineering, Animation and Visual Communication.

See the RCA website for more information. **

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2nd Unsound lineup announcement

18 June 2013

Now that the end didn’t happen the world can start anew and focus on what’s really going on. Hence, Unsound festival’s theme for 2013, ‘Interference’, running October 13 to 20. With all eyes on the Mayan calendar not many of us have been paying much attention to anything else and now, with the PRISM scandal and Turkish unrest it’s up to us to decide how to challenge and disrupt existing systems. Some musicians who might be able to point us in the right direction are Andy Stott and Demdike Stare, working together on their ‘EUTECTIC’ project, Jenny Hval, Pete Swanson and the Mullholland Free Clinic.

They join the list including aqnb favourites Pharmakon and Stellar OM Source. See below for the full line up. **

ANDY STOTT & DEMDIKE STARE PRESENT: EUTECTIC (UK) – World Premiere
DJ QU (USA)
DJ RICHARD (USA)
EARTH (USA)
FIRE! (SE)
FOREST SWORDS (UK)
GALCHER LUSTWERK (USA)
HELENA HAUFF (DE)
STARA RZEKA (PL)
INNODE (AT)
JENNY HVAL (NO)
KARENN (BLAWAN & PARIAH) (UK)
KING MIDAS SOUND (UK)
OREN AMBARCHI PRESENTS: KNOTS, WITH
SINFONIETTA CRACOVIA (AU/PL)
PEARSON SOUND (UK)
PETE SWANSON (USA)
PHARMAKON (USA)
REGIS PRESENTS: NECKLACE OF BITES (UK)
PORTER RICKS (DE)
ROBERT HENKE (AKA MONOLAKE) PRESENTS:
LUMIÈRE (DE)
ROBERT PIOTROWICZ (PL)
ROBERT RICH PRESENTS: SLEEP CONCERT (USA)
RP BOO (USA)
STARA RZEKA (PL)
STEFAN WESOŁOWSKI PRESENTS LIEBESTOD (PL)
STELLAR OM SOURCE (BE)
THE MULHOLLAND FREE CLINIC (MOVE D, JUJU &
JORDASH, JONAH SHARP) (DE/IL/USA)
TROPIC OF CANCER (USA)
YOUNG MALE (USA)

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DB Photography Prize 2013 announced

15 June 2013

Back in November we got to know this year´s shortlist to the always surprising DB Photography prize. And just early on this week the Photographer´s gallery announced this year´s winners: Broomberg & Chanarin for War Primer 2.

Adam Broomberg and Oliver Chanarin, Plate 23, 2011 (image courtesy of The Photographers Gallery)
Adam Broomberg and Oliver Chanarin, Plate 23, 2011 (image courtesy of The Photographers Gallery)

The London-based duo of artists, Adam Broomberg and Oliver Chanarin have both been awarded for their publication War Primer 2 (MACK, 2012), a book that physically inhabits the pages of Bertold Brecht’s remarkable 1955 publication War Primer. Brecht’s photo-essay comprises 85 images, photographic fragments or collected newspaper clippings, that were placed next to a four-line poem, called ‘photo-epigrams’. Broomberg and Chanarin layered Google search results for the poems over Brecht’s originals.

Adam Broomberg and Oliver Chanarin, Plate 26, 2011 (image courtesy of The Photographers Gallery)
Adam Broomberg and Oliver Chanarin, Plate 26, 2011 (image courtesy of The Photographers Gallery)

Some of those essays have been exposed with the other 3 nominees @ The Photographer´s Gallery since last April, and with only 2 more weeks to go until the expo finishes we think this possibly the best way to discover their limited edition book. You can always go for their free app if not in London.

More info on the prize, nominees and winners this way.

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Art Paris Art Fair @ Grand Palais reviewed.

Art Paris. Pan Art Paradox.
4 April 2013

At the dawn of its 15th birthday, Art Paris Art Fair at Grand Palais is going through its teen phase of composing its own history and differentiating itself from the older International Contemporary Art Fair (FIAC). Curator Guillaume Piens has taken bold steps towards redefining the event’s identity, defiantly refusing to abide by other blockbuster art fairs and opposing the kitsch tone of previous editions. Another key element of that strategic vision is the strong emphasis on Eastern countries, with a particular focus on Russia, invited as a guest of honour. The 90 Russian artists, represented by 25 galleries out of 144 exhibitors, create an impressive momentum indeed. However, the emerging dynamic goes as far as influencing visitors’ interests and expectations, at the risk of overshadowing the talent of other countries.

Petr Lovigin, 'My Louis is not coming back to me’ series (2013). Image courtesy of °Clair Galerie.
Petr Lovigin, ‘My Louis is not coming back to me’ series (2013). Image courtesy of °Clair Galerie.

Continue reading Art Paris Art Fair @ Grand Palais reviewed.

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Great Digital Exhibition accepting proposals.

The Great Digital Exhibition.
21 March 2013

Digital Shoreditch has is calling for proposals for The Great Digital Exhibition for 2013. The event will be held in London’s Shoreditch Town Hall from Monday, May 20 to Friday, May 31 and showcase the latest interactive digital creations within art, apps, gaming, websites and more.

Celebrating innovation from East London’s ‘Tech City’ -chiefly based across Clerkenwell to Stratford, Old Street to Bethnal Green and Dalston to the City -the event will feature the outstanding creative, technical and entrepreneurial talent from the area and beyond. There’ll be a global perspective for the first week, while the community programme will run the following. See the website to apply and for more information.**

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Global Game Jam 2013

2 January 2013

Game makers rejoice as your favourite game jam is back this month, and if last year over 47 countries participated in this crazy game hackathon with over 2000 games, expectations are high for this fifth edition too…

This year takes place the weekend that goes from 25-27th of January, 48hours of gaming love creation for designers and developers who are willing not-only to create joy under pressure but maybe get noticed and earn some funding for further development.

As it usually happens despite the growth and dimension of the event not all locations can give room or host as many people as desired so maybe it’s worth registering and checking if there are still places left to attend to from one of the already-created locations. More info this way.

Still from Madrid Game Jam 2011 (photo via MediaLab Prado)
Still from Madrid Game Jam 2011 (photo via MediaLab Prado)
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Jeune Création 2013 Open Call

26 December 2012

After the 2012 Jeune Création the oldie but always important JC French association are already preparing next year’s edition, that’s why they’ve just opened the submissions period for Jeune Création 2013!

Gabriel Jones - Untitled 11 - Arcadefire (image via Gabriel Jones)
Gabriel Jones, one of last year’s participants – Untitled 11 – Arcadefire (image via Gabriel Jones)

Open to all French but also international artists (of up to 45 y.o.) JC are willing to make a new selection of up to 60 artists who shall be exhibiting next November @ the North-Parisian cultural venue Le 104. Pretty much any artistic form is welcome, any medium & format underlining the experimental, reflexive and “alive” dimensions this contest tends to host. Emerging new practices and artists (much like last year) will delight next year’s visitors, but until then… artists are invited to submit their works before March 2013. Sign-up process & more info this way (you’ll have to register to get the necessary info).

Enrique Ramirez - Randonneur (2011 - Image via Le 104)
Enrique Ramirez – Randonneur (2011 – Image via Le 104)
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Angouleme 2013 competitors unveiled

27 November 2012

Every year around November we get to know the few lucky (although “few” is usually a generous “few”) selected works who shall be competing for the next edition of the Angouleme festival. For 2013 they’ve been less generous though… only 32 books have been selected to fight in the official category for one of the 4 coveted cats (aka “Fauves”, Best album, Jury prize, revelation and series).

I am a hero (c) Kengo Hanazawa (page)
I am a hero (c) Kengo Hanazawa (page)
Laurent Maffre - Demain, Demain (Image via Actes Sud)
Laurent Maffre – Demain, Demain (Image via Actes Sud)

From Kengo Hanazawa’s horror-manga series “I am a hero” and the self-imagined self-survival mode his depressive main character constantly lives in, to Laurent Maffre’s “Demain Demain” and his half-fiction half-documentary graphic novel, or Charles Burns’ La Ruche (aka The Hive) which follows his already successful X’ed Out, and the other 29 novels (some of which we’ve already covered here like Paolo Pinocchio or Hereux qui comme), there’s too many good works to choose from.

La Ruche- Charles Burns (Image via Cornelius ed.)
La Ruche (aka The Hive) – Charles Burns (Image via Cornelius ed.)

So who will it be? Well… just 2,5 months and you’ll know. The rest of the selected works can be seen here, and in case you understand French (or simply like the accent) they’ve also just released the detail of next year’s program.

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2013 DB Photography Prize shortlist announced

26 November 2012

It’s only been a couple of months since the winner of this year’s DB Photography Prize was announced (John Stezaker) and barely 4 months since we got to review this year’s shortlist exhibition and today we already know the name of the 3 shortlisted candidates for next year’s edition!

© Chris Killip, What Happened Great Britain 1970 - 1990 (image via The Photographers Gallery)
© Chris Killip, What Happened Great Britain 1970 – 1990 (image via The Photographers Gallery)

The 2013 exhibition won’t happen until next April but at least we know that one of the following will be a happy 2013 winner:  Adam Broomberg & Oliver Chanarin, Mishka Henner, Chris Killip and Cristina De Middel.

Adam & Oliver are nominated for their publication War Primer 2 (2012, MACK), a book inspird by the pages of Bertolt Brecht’s publication War Primer (1955). In the original, Brecht matched WWII newspaper clippings with short poems…. in War Primer 2 Broomberg & Chanarin choose to focus on the ‘War on Terror’; sifting through the internet for low resolution screen-grabs and mobile phone images, the artists then combined them to resonate with Brecht’s poems.

© Cristina de Middel, The Afronauts, 2011 (image via The Photographers Gallery)
© Cristina de Middel, The Afronauts, 2011 (image via The Photographers Gallery)

Spanish Cristina (based in London) has been working for newspapers in Spain and with NGOs such as Doctors Without Borders and the Spanish Red Cross for almost eight years. Her works combine strictly documentary assignments with more personal projects playing with reconstructions or archetypes that blur the border between reality and fiction… and she’s been nominated for her self-publication “The Afronauts“.

Then there’s multi-awarded photographer Chris Killip and his works of North East England who is nominated for his last summer exhibition What Happened Great Britain 1970 – 1990 at Parisian Le Bal.

And last but not least we get Mishka Henner who has been described as a trailblazer amongst a new generation of artists redefining the role of photography in the internet age. She is nominated for his exhibition No Man’s Land at Fotografia Festival Internazionale di Roma which just closed last month.

© Mishka Henner, No Man's Land, 2012 (image via The Photographers Gallery)
© Mishka Henner, No Man’s Land, 2012 (image via The Photographers Gallery)
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