The 1st Athens World Poetry Festival: Literary Voyages on Homer’s Shores

Major institutions throughout Athens, such as the Benaki Museum and the Athens Concert Hall, as well as public squares, poetry institutes and cafes will welcome no less than 69 poets from 22 countries, all coming together from 22-29 September 2013 for the 1st Athens World Poetry Festival. 

Adam Zagajewski/ © Athens Poetry Festival

The 1st Athens World Poetry Festival is a multilingual and multi-faceted week-long event which sets out to prove that, if anything, we do need poets in lean years. Inspired and determined to react in a time of crisis, Greece’s Poets Circle and a long list of eager participants decided to listen to their Muse and organise the 1st Athens World Poetry Festival. They aim to lyrically renew Greece’s portrait as a land of poets. From Homer to Seferis and from China’s Lan Lan to Germany’s Hölderlin — whose characteristic phrase ‘Who needs poets in lean years?’ becomes chillingly topical — the festival now seeks common ground and a poetic vision without borders. Events — poetic, musical, visual or otherwise — will spread from the Acropolis Museum and the central Koumoundourou Square to the Corydallos Women’s Prison (with no public access) and the historic site of Delphi, urging their audience to travel both physically and allegorically.

Greek poets Titos Patrikios and Kiki Dimoula speak poetry at the garden of the Athens Concert Hall/© Haris Akriviadis/ Athens Concert Hall

Contemporary Greek poets such as Yiorgos Chouliaras, a major player in the organisation of the event, Titos Patrikios and Nanos Valaoritis, will be joined by Poland’s Adam Zagajewski, Ireland’s Desmond Egan, Germany’s Gerhard Falkner, Spain’s Juan Carlos Mestre and USA’s Lawrence Ferlinghetti, beat poetry movement pioneer and founder of San Francisco’s cult City Lights bookstore, amongst others. The opening night, September 23rd, welcomes visitors free of charge at the spacious gardens of the Athens Concert Hall, joining a big party of poets — Egan, Mestre, Valaoritis and 14 more from Greece and beyond, who will respectively read their original works. Given the multilingual nature of the festival Greek and English will naturally be the predominant languages of most events, such as the colloquium Poetry without Borders (26/9, Stanley Hotel), as well as in the powerpoint translations, discussion panels and the collective festival book that you will find on sale with poems, poet bios and photographs. All in all, wherever you may come from, you will somewhere find a poem (or a poet) that speaks to you.

Alicia Stallings/ © Athens World Poetry Festival

Seizing the opportunity for a warm-up discussion with the festival guests, Yiorgos Chouliaras asked a selected few to answer the burning question: What is the significance of poetry in today’s world? According to Falkner, in a day when ‘we are about to lose the ability to communicate with ourselves...poetry is almost the only independent language left. Poetic language is not only to detect and recognize the mind, it is also a remedy to build and enlarge the self, not as an ego, but as a potentially enormous inner space’. Egan quotes ‘Not on bread alone does man live’, adding that ‘...great art survives, indestructible as the poetry of Simonides or the drama of Sophokles. Its very survival suggests some kind of necessity and need’. For US poet Alicia Stallings, ‘...the opposite of the aesthetic isn't the ugly, it is the anesthetic’ and poetic ‘wakefulness’ is the antidote to ‘electronic anesthesia’.

As for Adam Zagajewski, things are quite simple: ‘Poetry is like homeopathy. Small amounts; doctors are skeptical. And yet some people are cured by it...’. More ‘medication for the healthy’ is distributed generously at the festival by 65 more literary doctors, in rough and idyllic urban backdrops - starting tonight. 

By Danai Molocha

Published: The Culture Trip, 23/9/2013.

Jammin’ In Jamaica: Bob Marley’s Timeless Reggae Legend

Bob Marley/ © Paul Wineberg

A revolutionary figure and a global superstar whose musical and spiritual allure, over three decades after his passing, remain undiminished, Bob Marley brought Jamaican reggae into every Western household. In his old neighbourhood and former homes, where the ska, reggae and rocksteady genres were born, the cultural heart of the island beats the strongest.

From Jamaica to the World: The Voice That Sang The Songs of Freedom

The director of the recent biopic, Marley, Kevin McDonald describes Jamaica as a ‘magic kingdom... A world where anything is possible’; which is certainly evident in the eternal music of Bob Marley. What he made possible when he started releasing his first studio records in the 1960s with the Wailers, was to make people all over the four corners of the world discover the ska, rocksteady and reggae rhythms that brought the poor neighbourhoods of this paradisiacal corner of the Caribbean to life. From the loving sway of ‘Jamming’ and ‘Stir It Up’ to the tear-jerking rebel ballad ‘Redemption Song’, Marley’s charisma captured the Jamaican spirit, with a universal heart, and turned him into an unlikely rastafarian prophet for the less fortunate and the oppressed. Comprised of heart-warming rhythms of songs such as ‘Is This Love’ and ‘Could You Be Loved’, or the nostalgic ‘No Woman, No Cry’, the greatest hits collection Legend (1984) was released three years after his death and reached 25 million sales worldwide.

Trench Town Culture Yard Museum: Return To The Birthplace of Reggae and Ska

Bob Marley Museum, Hope Road/ © Dubdem e FabDub/Flickr

Kingston’s Trench Town, were the trademark ska, reggae and rocksteady rhythms of Jamaica took shape, is way more than just Marley’s old neighbourhood: From The Wailers Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer, to Dean Fraser and Toots & The Maytals, the who-is-who of Jamaican sound met there. At 6 & 8 Lower First Street, where the Trench Town Culture Yard Museum is now located, Marley learnt to play the guitar thanks to the mentoring of the ‘community leader’, songwriter Vincent ‘Tata’ Ford. Together, they co-wrote the now famous ‘No Woman, No Cry’, reminiscing on life in Trench Town. It is also while living there that The Wailers were formed and they recorded Catch A Fire. The museum, containing objects, furniture and instruments used by Marley, is a return to a modern icon’s humble beginnings, where the truly authentic Jamaican experience began.

The Bob Marley Museum: From The Trenches to Hope Road

When the success of his early records, Marley and his family moved to 56 Hope Road, in a 19th century construction that was converted into the Bob Marley Museum six years after his death in 1981. Take a closer look at the musician’s daily life in a guided tour through personal treasures and memorabilia, as well as other local items that allow a wider perspective on his background. An 80-seat theatre complements the space, along with a photographic gallery, a gift shop for souvenir T-shirts and the Legend Cafe, with Ital and Jamaican variations that will give visitors a fuller taste of the local culture.

In Search of Identity: Marley On The Big Screen

Bob Marley Museum, Hope Road/ © Dubdem e FabDub/Flickr

Directed by Academy-award winning Scottish director Kevin McDonald, Marley, a detailed biographical portrayal of the musician’s larger-than-life persona, enhanced by the people that were closest to him, was released in April 2012. McDonald decided to focus, above all, on Marley the man, his personal struggles with his mixed-race background, keeping him a perennial outcast as a boy and a grown-up on the island, his love of women and his involvement with the Rastafari movement, symbolized by his iconic dreadlocks (‘yeah, this is my identity’). The director unearthed the flaws that made him human, a person the masses could really identify with, and look up to. Despite his newfound wealth, Marley knew what he kept close to his heart: ‘My richness is life’.

By Danai Molocha

Published: The Culture Trip, 26/7/13. 

Cultural Escapes in The City of Sin: The Ten Best Artistic Attractions in Las Vegas

Front desk at Aria Resort & Casino, Maya Lin © Maya Lin,
CityCenter Land, LLC

There is no lack of vision and creative spirit in a city that loves to reinvent itself as frequently and ambitiously as Las Vegas. Behind the flickering neon signs and the imposing hotel facades hide a number of timeless masterpieces, art galleries, cultural addresses and historic remnants that paint a very different picture of Nevada’s gambling paradise. 

Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art 

Warhol Out West © Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art

The famed Las Vegas Resort & Casino is much more artistically-inclined than its scenic singing fountains let on, as the Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art reveals. Regular host of internationally acclaimed artworks and exhibitions, Bellagio has welcomed exhibitions from Claude Monet: Impressions of Light to American Modernism and Picasso Ceramics. The Spanish legend’s ceramics also decorate the acclaimed Picasso restaurant inside the hotel, amongst a stunning collection of original paintings that, along with Picasso’s two-Michelin-star cuisine compose a unique dining experience for the grand master’s fans. For more eclectic artistic views, the gallery is the place to be, currently hosting a comprehensive collection (paintings, sculptures, photographs, screen prints and wallpaper) of the ultimate pop art icon in Warhol Out West. The exhibition is organized in collaboration with the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh and it was recently extended until January 2014 due to popular demand.  

3600 Las Vegas Blvd South, 888 9876667.

Typewriter Eraser, Scale X by Claes Oldenburg & Coosje van Bruggen, Mandarin Oriental terrace/ © CityCenter Land, LLC

City Center

Like its neighbouring Bellagio, the City Center looks like typical Vegas: an awe-inspiring, spare-no-expense urban metropolis of hotels and casinos, where, at first glance, art plays no part. Yet, dispersed among the state-of-the-art nightclubs, the trendy lounges and the intimate spas is a surprising gallery, where you will bump into sculptures like Henry Moore’s Reclining Connected Forms and Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen’s Typewriter Eraser, Scale X, Jack Goldstein’s postmodern Untitled (Volcano) canvas, or conceptual artist Jenny Holzer’s Vegas, in which thought-provoking international proverbs scroll across a LED wall. From the aesthetically amusing to the intriguingly intellectual, the City Center is truly big on cultural surprises.

3780 Las Vegas Boulevard South, 866 7227171. 

Smith Center for the Performing Arts 

Filling a noticeable gap in high-quality performing arts events in the region, the Smith Center for the Performing Arts has played a major part in the city’s cultural calendar since March 2012. Part of the brand new Symphony Park’s evolving landscape, it is instantly recognisable by its grandiose Art Deco facade, featuring a 17-story carillon tower with 47 bells that make the center’s presence conspicuous from a distance. Home of the Las Vegas Philharmonic and Nevada Ballet Theatre, it welcomes everything from Broadway best-sellers to the big ladies of international jazz, while the excellent ‘Classical & Beyond’ series in 2013 features performances from star soprano Renee Fleming and master violinist Joshua Bell.

361 Symphony Park Avenue, + (1) 702 7492000.

The Arts Factory

In the busy 18b Las Vegas Arts District downtown (the 18b standing for the total of 18 blocks packed with independent art galleries, eateries and bars), breathing in it’s own Anti-Strip atmosphere, lies The Arts Factory. A 50-year old commercial warehouse that, since 1997, has been housing antiques shops, artist studios and galleries, it introduces to the unsuspecting Vegas visitor an array of different media and styles. Music concerts, poetry readings and theatrical ventures complete the Factory’s busy schedule, peaking on the celebrated First Friday of every month, when everything from dance music to street vendors satisfy all senses in an all-inclusive, vibrant and intoxicating street party. Exhibitions change monthly, but more serious art aficionados can attend Preview Thursdays, a day before the big feast, to examine the artworks more privately.

18b Arts District © The Arts Factor

107 East Charleston Boulevard, + (1) 702 3833133.

Marjorie Barrick Museum

Part of the University of Nevada Las Vegas complex, the Marjorie Barrick Museum offers a multi-faceted collection for both contemporary art lovers and history buffs. Originally conceived as a natural history museum, it now relocated to the university campus, where it houses a significant collection of pre-Colombian and ethnographic art. Since the Las Vegas Art Museum closed its doors, due to a lack of funds, the Barrick regularly features its collections at the newly-renovated exhibition halls while, thanks to its recent association with the College of Fine Arts, it also often delivers in-depth looks on ground-breaking contemporary art. If you are found wandering around the UNLV, don’t forget to visit the rest of the campus’s prominent exhibition spaces, such as the Donna Beam Fine Art Gallery, with a frequently changing schedule of international and local exhibitions.

4505 Maryland Parkway, UNLV campus, Paradise, + (1) 702 8953381.

Martin Lawrence Galleries

Since 1975, Martin Lawrence Galleries have built up a reputed network of galleries across the United States, specializing in original paintings, sculptures and limited edition graphics of established and emerging artists, from Picasso and Chagall to Takashi Murakami and Felix Mas. Having, by now, lent nearly 250 of their masterpieces to museums and galleries across the world, there are still enough left for the fairly new Vegas brunch. Housed in the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace, on the famous Las Vegas Strip, the gallery constitutes a great cultural oxymoron, which by no means diminishes the preciousness of the Haring, Miro and Chagall paintings which you can browse inside, completely free of charge.

The Forum Shops At Caesars Palace, + (1) 702 9915990. 

Contemporary Arts Center 

Located in the vibrant arts hub of East Charleston Boulevard, CAC is a non-profit, volunteer-run organization of artists, students, and instructors for the UNLV Department of Fine Art, united by their goal to create an adventurous Contemporary Arts Collective that would dare to do what others won’t. Starting with bold works that galleries were reluctant to exhibit, it now comprises a wide spectrum of contemporary art, sponsoring exhibitions, lectures, workshops, installations and fine-art competitions. Upcoming exhibitions include a diverse multi-media pastiche by artists Sam Blanchard, Joe Casey Doyle and Matthew Schlagbaum.

107 E Charleston Blvd, Ste 12, + (1) 702 3823886.

Southern Nevada Museum of Fine Arts 

Dedicated to raising awareness and appreciation for fine art on the 2nd floor of the 300,000-sq-ft Neonopolis shopping mall, the Southern Nevada Museum of Fine Arts is another stark contrast in the boisterous pell-mell of Fremont Street. A privately funded, non-profit organisation active since 2003, it moved to the mall in 2008 in order to take advantage of 20,000 square ft of exhibition space, comprising of a main gallery, a special exhibitions and a small works galleries. Often a welcome surprise to the wandering Neonopolis visitor, it has strengthened its contrasting presence with multi-cultural exhibitions that range from Contemporary Asian Art to Namaste: Portraits From India and Nepal and International Masters of Photography. For summer 2013, Michael Griesgraber leaves his parodies of famous paintings aside and brings an extra splash of colour with his solo Colors Square Route.

450 Fremont St., Suite 280, + (1) 702 3822926.

Frank Gehry's LRCBH © Cygnusloop99/Wiki Commons

Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health

There is obviously not much cultural exploration to be had inside the LRCBH, but just looking at its facade makes for a fascinating architectural adventure. It is no wonder, since it is the work of characteristically whimsical and thrilling celebrity architect Frank Gehry, responsible for the iconic Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao and Prague’s Dancing House, among others — all buildings having managed to instantly become the object of international controversy and fascination. The progressive design of LRCBH didn’t escape heated discussions since it opened in 2010 in the work-in-progress that is Symphony Park, but its exterior alone does constitute a compelling addition to the city’s neonscape.

888 West Bonneville Avenue.

Neon Boneyard Museum

Don’t expect to find here the flashing lights and ephemeral joys of the Strip. The Neon Boneyard Museum offers a very different sight: in a sprawling surface crowded with giant, idiosyncratic typography in faded colours, The Boneyard houses more than 150 historic signs — from Caesars Palace to Binions Horseshoe and the aptly named Stardust, to name a few. An unlikely meeting-spot for artists, students, historians and designers, where to analyse, take inspiration and observe in awe, it can be explored in one of the museum’s guided tours, where you will discover fascinating details about the donated signs, the city’s history and the passing trends that discreetly read... between the lines.

770 Las Vegas Boulevard North, + (1) 702 3876366.

By Danai Molocha

Published: The Culture Trip, 16/7/13.

Pop to Politics: The Top Ten Contemporary Art Galleries in Taipei

A subtropical island balancing between hi-tech industrialization and ancient tradition, Taiwan has seen phenomenal progress in the late 20th century - and the arts were no exception. Revealing one of Asia’s best kept art secrets, we seek out Taipei’s ten best contemporary galleries, proving that the Taiwanese capital is a booming and fascinating creative centre.

 

A 100 Pieces of a Mosaic

Gallery 100

With only five years under its belt, Gallery 100 has managed to cause a sensation in the local art scene. Widely focusing on the promotion of Taiwanese and Chinese artists, it often organises themed exhibitions, where established and up-and-coming talent comes together in a heterogeneous and vibrant mosaic. That can include everything from the distinctly Chinese poetry, calligraphy and painting of Chiang Hsun to the structuralist sculptures of Szumin Kuo, via the surrealist Neo-Japanese snapshots of Araki Nobuyoshi.

Eyes into the Future

Galleria H

A fairly new space, since opening in 2011 Galleria H. has sought to add forward looking pieces to the artistic puzzle. Despite representing a fair amount of young Taiwanese artists, the gallery is more concerned with work that constructively interacts with the present, laying down the steps for the future to move forward, than any particular geographical affiliations. Among its roster are abstract painter Sheau-Ming Song and his minimalist, muted palette, and visual experimentalist Kun-Feng Chen, who blurs reality with saturated colours, in the spiritual crossroads between painting, photography and new media.

Art with Ambition

Asia Art Center

With three decades of existence already behind it, the Asia Art Center has by now spread its wings towards Beijing and Singapore, as well as establishing a second Taipei branch. On the way, it has promoted its philosophy; that drawing from the rich Asian heritage is a vital step towards future evolution. Naturally, in appearance, works like Liao Yuan’s marginal cartoon-y characters, Li Hui’s laser and metal artworks, or Chen Wenling's psychologically disturbed sculptures, have nothing to do with Asian legacy - but they all found a place in the Center’s tight-knit community. Persevering through many obstacles, the Center is committed to supporting its artists, and creating, as a result, monumental shows like Greatness of Spirit: Li Chen Premiere Sculpture Exhibition in Taiwan - probably the region’s most ambitious open-air sculpture exhibition to date.

Photography 101

1839 Contemporary Gallery

Taking its’ name from the year photography was invented, 1839 Gallery, Little Gallery and Little Shop are a united trio dedicated to bringing great photography to a wider public. The team is passionate about connecting emerging Taiwanese artists with the world, through both local and foreign fairs, exhibitions and open calls. It also consistently provokes cultural dialogue with international talent, through various programs of exchange. In the shop, books on Ansel Adam’s serene black and white landscapes sit alongside Diane Arbus’ unusually commercial magazine work, while at the Little Gallery the latest exhibitions of up-and-coming photographers, such as Chie Murakami’s ‘Japanese Girls’ exhibition, provoke reflection and debate.

A Modern Guide to Asian Art

Tina Keng Gallery

Whether freely depicting local artistic vision, or exchanging ideas with international institutions and connoisseurs, both the Tina Keng Gallery and the TKG+ creative platform welcome all things related to Asian art. Photography, installation, painting or mixed media, modernist or historically-minded; the types of expression within Tina Keng are many and varied. From established Chinese painters Zao Wou-Ki and Lin Fengmian, to pioneering local media artist Yuan Goang-Ming, and other young talent experimenting with the Taiwanese quotidian, the gallery’s generous space, in Taipei’s Neihu District, sets the stage for a dynamic regional artistic presence into the 21st century.

Porcelain Oddities and Boxing Girls

Aki Gallery

Forming an intriguing new art district in the vicinity of the Taipei Fine Art Museum, Aki Gallery focuses on emerging contemporary artists from around the globe. As member of the Taiwan Contemporary Art Link (TACL), an international marketing platform for local artists, it joins three other Taipei galleries, focused on the promotion of new Taiwanese artists for greater strength and visibility. TACL this year also organised the first Contemporary Hotel Art Fair, ‘Young Art Taipei’ (YAT), which promoted artists under 45. That is how Lian Yu-Pei’s porcelain oddities and Lee Chen-Dao’s feisty, colourful girl paintings found a platform to prove their strengths to the world. 

Pop Ping Pong

Ping Art Space

Two floors of exhibition space opens up to all forms of Contemporary Chinese Art, combining unique art with a distinct surrounding lifestyle. A large supporter of young talent with an original vision, the gallery’s director Hsu Chih-Ping backs up artists he believes in with both exhibitions and high-quality publications, propelling them towards international recognition. Shichinohe Masaru’s highly imaginative children paintings meet with Ren Zhe’s mythical bronze sculptures and the ironic pop blends of KEA in an unlikely mix that is both inspired by Chinese legacy and pop madness.

Art as Lifestyle

Fish Art Center

The team of the Fish Art Center uses creativity in ways to colour and inspire everyday reality. Representing only a handful of artists, it also aims to build bridges with international creative talent and galleries with a true passion for art. Represented artist Huang Mingchun established red, yellow and green as the primary colours of light, bringing up different mixtures of blue straight on the canvas; two of his paintings, The Return of Grace and Come On!, have been purchased by the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts. Lin Chiahung’s unsmiling children paintings, on the other hand, have won great acclaim (plus an entry to the museum’s collections), by inviting us to see, with their gloomy eyes, ‘Beneath the Aloofness’.

A New Media Era

Galerie Grand Siècle

Initially focusing on modern and contemporary art by Taiwanese and Chinese artists, Galerie Grand Siècle has concentrated, in time, on Taiwanese contemporary work, with an emphasis on new media. Taking its artists to fairs from Barcelona to Miami and Cologne, it has had a consistent international presence for years. As a result, young photographers like Ting Ting Cheng, whose work revolves around the concept of foreignness and life in the margins, have found their way into international acclaim, as well as a place in several private collections.

Material Revolution

J. Chen Gallery

Right in the heart of Taipei’s emerging cultural community, J. Chen is one of the latest additions in the promotional arena for Asian Contemporary art. Its’ roster has already expanded from local creative talents, to artists from China, Singapore and Japan. With exhibitions like A New Form of Material Revolution from Contemporary Artists like the inventive Hung Shiaopei, to the humorous, flamboyant designs of the Singaporean collective PHUNK and Yayoi Kusama’s Silkscreen on Canvas, J. Chen is set to bring new rules to the Taiwanese art game. 

By Danai Molocha

Images courtesy: 1: Gallery 100. 2: Re-focus exhibition, Galleria H. 3: Asia Art Center. 4: 1839 Contemporary Gallery. 5: Tina Keng. 6: Aki Gallery. 7: Ping Art Space. 8: Fish Art Center. 9: Wang Jun-Jieh, Love & Death, Galerie Grand Siecle. 10: J. Chen.


Published: The Culture Trip, 01/05/13.


Extras:  The following images were not public at www.theculturetrip.com, but I really feel they should be somewhere... For more art like this, follow the gallery links above.

Soundtrack: Doll Parts by Hole