News d'arte dal mondo

In the late 1960s, Josh White's psychedelic "liquid light" projections illuminated such luminaries as Jimi Hendrix, Frank Zappa and the Doors. Now, 40 years later, another batch of rock bands are given their shot at synesthetic stardom.

BERLIN.- As part of the celebrations for the Mexican Independence Bicentennial and Revolution Centennial, President Felipe Calderón attended the exhibition entitled: Frida Kahlo Retrospective at the Martin Gropius, during his state visit to Berlin, Germany. Accompanied by his wife Margarita Zavala and Foreign Affairs Secretary, Patricia Espinosa Cantellano, the Mexican president highlighted the importance of the art of this Mexican artist, whom he regarded as a link between Germany and Mexico. "Frida is a universal Mexican, who has stopped being merely Mexican and has become a global artistic icon and a global icon of female strength." "This irreplaceable woman loved throughout her life. She dearly loved people such as her father, Guillermo Kahlo, who was born in Germany," he said. He said that this exhibition is proves that Mexican art continues to grow and reinforce the solid friendship linking these two nations. President Calderón and his staff toured the museum halls display

WASHINGTON, DC.- Some of the most compelling photographs taken by renowned 20th-century American poet Allen Ginsberg (1926–1997) of himself and his fellow Beat poets and writers—including William S. Burroughs, Neal Cassady, Gregory Corso, and Jack Kerouac―are the subject of the first scholarly exhibition and catalogue of these works. Beat Memories: The Photographs of Allen Ginsberg explores all facets of his photographs through 79 black-and-white portraits, on view at the National Gallery of Art, Washington, from May 2 through September 6, 2010. The works are selected largely from a recent gift to the Gallery by Gary S. Davis as well as from private lenders. Davis acquired a master set of Ginsberg's photographs from the poet's estate, including one print of every photograph in Ginsberg's possession at the time of his death. If more than one

WASHINGTON, DC (AP).- The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts announced the largest private donation in its history Monday — a $22.5 million gift from Dick and Betsy DeVos to endow a management training program for arts leaders. Arts organizations have been struggling or even closing their doors in the recession and need expert leadership to survive, Betsy DeVos said. The gift is among the largest ever by the Michigan couple. "We spend millions and billions of dollars training the most talented artists in the world, and yet we have invested very little historically in actually helping train and prepare their leadership, those who manage and employ them," she said. The gift will help fund two-year arts management training programs across the country. The center already has trained leaders from more than 400 small to mid-sized groups in New York,

LONDON.- Christie’s unveils an unprecedented sale of works of art selected from the Estate of Francis Newton Souza to take place on 9 June 2010 as part of the South Asian Modern + Contemporary Art auction. Comprising over 150 lots created throughout the artist’s career - from the late 1930s through to the 1990s and through his time in India, London and New York – the sale includes paintings, drawings, collages, watercolours and prints as well as ten revealing sketch books. Estimates range from £1,000 to £150,000, offering collectors an extraordinary and unprecedented opportunity to participate in an event that celebrates and commemorates one of 20th Century India’s leading artists. “Christie’s has been given unprecedented access to the life, studio and works of the late F.N. Souza to stage an auction event that will honour this extraordinary artist,” said Hugo Weihe, Senior Vice President, Ch

MADRID.- Lourdes Fernández has submitted her resignation as head of IFEMA International Fair of Contemporary Art. Thus ending a career of four editions (2007-2010) in which she has led ARCOmadrid. In her resignation letter she has alleged differences in the development of the project. IFEMA respects the decision made by Lourdes Fernández, which appreciates her contribution to ARCOmadrid, and reiterates its wish to continue working with the industry to define the best model of the fair to meet the challenges ahead. In this sense, IFEMA will announce who will pick up the baton in the Direction of the Fair, while work is progressing on the project settings. ARCOmadrid celebrate its thirtieth edition at Feria de Madrid between 16 and February 20, 2011. ARCOmadrid, the International Contemporary

BERLIN.- Kant, in The End of All Things, suggested that the imagination is more active in darkness than light. In the exhibition noire et pourtant lumineuse, Baudelaire’s description of his lover is applied to the space of the Matthew Bown Gallery, which will be blacked-out for the duration of the show. The exhibition presents work by four artists – Anina Brisolla (Berlin), Alexander Brodsky (Moscow), Gunda Förster (Berlin) and Katie Paterson (London) – which explore our experience of darkness. Anina Brisolla’s video installation Mall explores the after-images that form on the retina when the eye looks into bright light. Created for Noire et pourtant lumineuse, the video-loop conjures these phantom-images by the progressive removal of imagery, transforming light-architecture of a shopping-mall into a disturbing scenario that is

JERUSALEM.- Magic permeates our daily (Jewish) lives to such a degree that life without magic is close to impossible. An interesting fact is that most individuals are unaware that many items in their daily life and many daily actions and beliefs are magical in nature. Examples of this are endless: knocking on wood, tfu tfu tfu, Evil Eye (בלי עין הרע), not naming a child before birth, the amuletic power of the mezuzah, red ribbon bracelet, khamsas, jinxes… These and many more practices have ancient sources. Some have lost their meaning even though they are still used, for example, the magical formula ABRACADABRA, has its roots in the 3rd century CE, and is continuously used even today. In this exhibition visitors examine the origins and development of magic in Judaism from the First Temple period to the present day by focusing on beliefs, customs and, particularly, the practical use of magic objects in daily Jewish life.

VENICE.- On May 3rd, the President of the Venice Biennale, Paolo Baratta, and the Director of the Architecture section, Kazuyo Sejima, presented the 12th International Architecture Exhibition, titled People meet in architecture, that will run in Venice 29th August to 21st November 2010 (Preview on 26-27-28 Aug). Two major projects will be developed for the 12th Exhibition: the Architecture Saturdays (a series of conversations, performances and weekly discussions with architects and critics) and the greater involvement of the Universities (educational opportunities for students). After a series of editions of the Architecture Biennale directed by eminent critics and historians, this Sector is once again in the hands of an architect, Kazuyo Sejima. The first woman to direct the Architecture Sector of the Biennale, Sejima has recently been awarded the prestigious Pritzker Architecture Prize 2010 (together with Ryue Nishizawa)

SYDNEY.- The 17th Biennale of Sydney announces details of artist projects that will premiere at THE BEAUTY OF DISTANCE: Songs of Survival in a Precarious Age presented from 12 May until 1 August 2010 at leading cultural institutions, contemporary art spaces and heritage sites. David Elliott, Artistic Director, has selected 166 artists from 36 different countries to contribute works. Seventy (70) artists will premiere new work in Sydney including a major installation by Japanese artist Hiroshi Sugimoto presented inside the abandoned Power House on Cockatoo Island. The installation comprises light-box mounted prints from the artist’s ‘Lightning Fields’ series, presented on stage-like platforms that ascend towards a thirteenth-century Japanese sculpture of Raijin, the Japanese God of Thunder. The work results from Sugimoto’s recent experiments of photographically