cafebabel.com

International Documentary Film Festival: Amsterdam cinema’s leading lady

('Tom Gale',) — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 12:46:37 -0000

In Amsterdam, there are coffee shops, bicycles, Rembrandt and a port. But between the paintings and the pedals lies the IDFA, the largest documentary film event in the world and one of the biggest festivals in the world you’ve probably never heard of

Lowdown on Bulgarian cinema in 2011

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 17:28:09 -0000

Of the at least dozen films released in Bulgaria this year, two were screened at the Cannes film festival whilst seven were backed by the national film council. Here’s hoping for a better 2012

Voina: 'As a Russian activist, I'm not sure that I will live long'

('Annie Rutherford',) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 10:54:43 -0000

With organisers saying that almost 100, 000 people protested in Russia's biggest anti-governmental rally on 10 December - accusing the kremlin of 'fraud' in 4 December parliamentary elections - we hear from the Moscow-based self-styled 'street art gang' in part two of an exclusive interview, where they describe their role in this Russia

Russian art collective Voina: 'Zhlobs are in power in today's Russia'

('Annie Rutherford',) — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 10:05:48 -0000

The Moscow-based self-styled 'street art gang' formed in 2005. Its four main members consist of president Leonid Nikolaev - who was arrested at an 'election fraud protest rally' on 5 December - ideologist Oleg Vorotnikov, coordinator Natalia Sokol and her son and Voina's youngest activist, two-year-old Kasper Can't-Take-Our-Eyes-Off-Him Sokol. Part one of an exclusive interview marks their brief history

Catarina Botelho on crisis, arts and just everyday life in Portugal

('Emmanuel Haddad',) — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 15:05:05 -0000

The visual artist and photographer from Lisbon focuses on the relationship between close friends, family and objects, as well as doing the odd stint working abroad. We talk about the arts in Portugal, culture during a crisis and staying forever amateur

Spanish actor Santi Senso, creator of 'house theatre'

('Annie Rutherford',) — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 17:12:25 -0000

The thirtysomething actor is otherwise known for his 'intimate' theatre performances in people's homes across Spain, something he says is driven by a ‘beautiful madness’ inside him. His latest play 'Orgy Me' has just ended its residency in a hotel room in Madrid

'Eurogeneration': 'Warriors' conquer Europe's metropolises

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 16:08:44 -0000

They are pictured standing proudly in front of the setting sun on the anonymous urban stages of Europe. They are all warriors, young champions of the first European generation. This generation still hasn’t figured out what makes up a European identity, but nonetheless embody this identity subconsciously, whether they are from Budapest, Vilnius or Lisbon

Russian art group Voina boycotts Moscow contemporary art biennale

('Annie Rutherford',) — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 18:26:45 -0000

It's not the country that you'd expect to celebrate activist art. Held until 20 October, Moscow's fourth contemporary art biennale is not exactly a step towards the freedom of expression, especially since the famous Russian protest collective are paradoxically protesting against the biennale’s 'international festival of activist art'

Why French pop singer Ornette hated Serge Gainsbourg

('ZoeBBee',) — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 15:01:20 -0000

Far from offbeat artistic families, broken computers and restrictive music conservatories, the 28-year-old Parisian and mother-of-two has created a highly colourful musical project. Her debut album Crazy was released in France on 26 September

Poland-Germany exhibition in Berlin: let the neighbours talk

('Annie Rutherford',) — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 11:55:07 -0000

The exhibition ‘Good Neighbours? German Motifs in Polish Contemporary Art/ Polish Motifs In German Contemporary Art’ is showing at the Bethanien art gallery in Berlin’s Kreuzberg district until late October. The works on display reflect the quality of the German-Polish relationship today

Memorable exhibitions: inspecting meat at Carne 2010, Paris

('Daniel Milnes',) — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 12:00:03 -0000

An art exhibition with the rather succinct title 'Meat', displaying dead and live off-cuts of both human and animal origin, may not be a terribly new concept in the times of Gunter von Hagen’s ‘Body Worlds’, gory films and Lady Gaga costumes. However, in order to give their meaty art show a certain je ne sais quois, the Parisian organisers of Carne 2010 rather unceremoniously moved the exhibition out of the museum and into the slaughterhouse. Flashback tour through northern Paris, caught somewhere between minced meat and video installations

Digging out Macedonian documentary film and its female directors

('Annie Rutherford',) — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 10:40:58 -0000

Did you know that it was a Macedonian team who did the visual effects for Martin Scorcese’s The Aviator? Or that the George Clooney-vehicle The Peacemaker was also partly filmed in Macedonia? Twenty years after Macedonia gained independence from Yugoslavia, we discover there are actually new angles on the Balkan country's claim to fame

Brave Festival: Wrocław stands up for endangered cultures

('Peter Robbins',) — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 15:10:18 -0000

Brave is a festival for courageous individuals sharing a common aim, to fight 'cultural expulsion'. Anna Zubrzycki, co-organiser of the festival in south-western Poland and its artistic director for 2012, discusses her reasons for wanting to preserve endangered cultures

Can contemporary art change 'new capitalist' Tirana?

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 08:00:00 -0000

Far from having a ‘pan-Balkan’ culture and being under the influence of a consumerist society, the Albanian capital is exploring new ways of expressing itself. Whilst politicians are tripping on the urns and ignoring blank canvases (literally), local artists are boosting a non-existent contemporary scene

Art or porn? Youtube censor for Juan Francisco Casas

('ckb',) — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 12:30:00 -0000

'The truth is that it is a little outrageous that a suggestive image of a breast could be shocking in 2011,' complains the Andalusian artist Juan Francisco Casas. In March, youtube censored a video which contained images of his works, which are photos and art taken always with a close entourage

Aged three, Prishtina dances, designs but doesn’t debate

('entony',) — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 18:13:26 -0000

Kosovo is one of the most optimistic countries in the world with 70% of the population under the age of thirty. Music, bars and art dot my four days in its capital, Prishtina, three years after the city claimed independence from Serbia

Frank Pe, Luc Schuiten: eco-dreams of Brussels' comic book art architecture

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 15:15:00 -0000

Not everyone knows it but another Brussels does exist which is more green, more romantic, more human. It's the one which burgeons in the imagination and designs of those who have learned to love Brussels as it is, with its contradictions, its unbridled path of illogical construction and 'forced' cohabitation between the two souls of Europe, one Latin, the other Germanic. A comic book artist, visionary architect and artist-editor explain how they dream of a different Brussels.

What to do in Brussels when you're young, gifted and insanely connected

('Rose Kelleher',) — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 12:37:10 -0000

You exhibit in unusual places and crank up the electronic music - just ask the boys and girls from Plastic. Snippet from the Brussels cafebabel.com blog

Frank Bouroullec: 'There aren’t many people with the balls to paint live'

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 11:27:37 -0000

The renowned French speed artist, 43, is no 'painter', he’s a 'performer'. Nor does he 'work'; he 'gets his kicks'. A non-speed interview with a man who has painted live portraits of the likes of Eva Longoria and George Clooney upside down and in under four minutes

Communism perspectives: 'discontinuous history of art in eastern Europe'

('Oliver',) — Sun, 03 Oct 2010 14:00:00 -0000

3 October marked twenty years after the fall of the communist regime. One exhibition in Paris this summer asked the central question: is there any value in the question of 'east-west’ opposition today?

Venice, the Moses project and fake funerals

('Sarah Truesdale',) — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 11:00:00 -0000

It is slowly sinking, its residents are leaving. The world's media are claiming that Venice’s end is nigh. American environmental information website Mother Nature Network even includes Venice on its '10 places to visit before they vanish' list. But the reality is more complicated

Ars Homo Erotica: 'bring the toilet to Warsaw national museum'

('Emilie Prattico',) — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 18:21:02 -0000

Before the Euro pride parade on 17 July, exhibition curator Pawel Leszkowicz talks lesbian art, punching viewers in faces and explains why art and the Polish capital's largest museum is a live nerve of democracies

German clown Marenka: 'hit a woman and it's almost taboo'

('Jessie L.',) — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 10:41:48 -0000

For seven years, the 37-year-old has acted in German-language performances throughout Europe, a trade she refined in Hannover, France and California - how does her public react to her clownish mishaps?

Irish artists in Berlin, a city 'always and never in crisis'

('M\xc3\xa9abh Mc Mahon',) — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 14:45:00 -0000

Whilst Irish artists like Paul Diamond and You're Only Massive become better known in Berlin, stages in Irish bars remain empty. With less people investing in upcoming Irish talent, the young generation will continue to migrate to artistic-friendly places like Berlin to follow their musical dream

To be or to be in Berlin: poor but (creatively) rich

('Camelia Ivanova',) — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 17:22:59 -0000

Money and the crisis are not on the agenda for Berliners who can focus on different things, such as art. 'Being poor is not cool, but OK,' is the word on the street. It all looks very promising for someone from Bulgaria, the EU's officially poorest country, where a lack of money, unlike cheap glamour, can never be a virtue

Comedian and new mayor Jon Gnarr spoofs politics in Reykjavik

('Nicola Potter',) — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 12:30:00 -0000

It's made an impact - The Best Party won the local elections on 29 May with 34.7% of the vote! We talk to party number two Einar Orn Benediktsson, a former singer and trumpet player who has collaborated with Björk and the Sugercubes

Felix Vogel, youngest curator of a European biennale

('Caroline Prosser',) — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 12:01:35 -0000

The German was picked three years ago when he was just 20 - in Venice, the youngest curator was 46! With a team averaging an age of 24, the Bucharest Biennale between 21 May and 25 July 2010 gives youth the chance to show what they can do

Ban bullfighting in Catalonia

('Louis',) — Fri, 21 May 2010 18:30:00 -0000

It’s a briskly warm spring afternoon in Barcelona and blood is shed for the first time this year in the grand Monumental arena to the cheers of willing fans. Brilliantly shimmering sequins sparkle on the skin-tight suit of a proud Torero as he marks the beginning of yet another season of bloodshed

Mediterannean road trip becomes Italian comic

Tue, 27 Apr 2010 08:45:00 -0000

Italian illustrator and writer team Giuliano Cangiano and Gianluca Ferro decided to spend a different kind of summer in a van driving along the western coasts of the Mediterranean. The pictures from 'Europe 2009 A.D' address stereotypes, the Basque omertà and the flames of Marseille

'Conciliabules': French women fight for European poverty via theatre

Mon, 26 Apr 2010 15:00:00 -0000

Marginalisation, precarity - in any case, women are 'poorer' than men. But the ladies from this French troupe use art, not negativity, in their official response to Europe's designated 'year of poverty and social exclusion'

When does design (not) become art?

('Hanna Sankowska',) — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 12:04:28 -0000

There was no clear answer at the 14th pavilion of arts and design in Paris between 24 - 28 March. We talked limited edition pieces, the concept of twenty-first century art and the nature of spending at the internationally renowned trade show, which was held in the Tuilerie gardens

Gaëtan Tarantino: ‘graffiti artists are normal people, not hooligans’

('Alison Frank',) — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 10:00:00 -0000

He escaped prison and fines, sleeps and breathes graffiti and his NGO holds Brussels’ annual graffiti event: how the 32-year-old from Marseille, who once worked in air-conditioning, cheers up gloomy Belgian neighbourhoods with art that emerges from concrete

Art in Slovenia: Eclipse is an 'open vagina nibbling at things'

('Kristina Bozic',) — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 12:16:42 -0000

The anonymous art collective admit they don't 'fit the norms': they use everything from pigs’ heads to world war weaponry to get across their message of social criticism. Ten years on, the female duo from Ljubljana have just finished the final works for their new exhibition '10 – Of Blasphemy We Are Guilty'. We discuss erotic nudes, kitsch art and their being questioned by police for offending the catholic church

The 'M' word: breaking the Bulgarian complex

('Nabeelah Shabbir',) — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 16:27:34 -0000

In January 2009, Sofia’s then-mayor and current PM banned anti-government protests after citizen disillusion with the country’s corruption; Bulgaria is officially the poorest EU state, according to Transparency International. One year on, the remnants of a ‘protest culture’ lie in the urban, cultural and mediatic fragmentation of a society rooted in tradition, the past - and the mafia, to an extent

Sofia's directors and playwrights boom despite barebone budgets

('Darren Thompson',) — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 12:57:13 -0000

In Bulgaria there are no cultural policy programmes and the crisis has consumed the ministry coffers. Filmmakers like Kamen Kalev, playwrights and other creative minds demand government transparency and methods to support their enterprising spirit. Part one of a five part 'EU crisis on the ground' city series

There's no place for art in Tirana

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:30:28 -0000

One German visitor paints a bleak picture of the Albanian capital as a city of art and culture. In delapidated surroundings, the small seeds planted by creative folk via the Marubi academy and Tirana international contemporary art biennial struggle to grow

Paris squat reopens for artists to rent

('Angela Therain',) — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 12:00:00 -0000

‘We used to steal in through the back window; now we use the front door.’ As unauthorised locations become ever legit, artists find themselves playing tenant. From Paris to Rome via Berlin, European municipalities have started to cash in on the ‘squat mine’

South Italy tempts its tourists back

('Miriam Franchina',) — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 11:00:00 -0000

In recent years the South of Italy has witnessed a decline in its tourist industry. Now, tourists are returning to hidden spots such as the awe-inspiring Castelvenere grotto, said to be the birthplace of Cupid. A guided visit into oblivion

Tilda Swinton: ‘We would have organised this festival with or without my Oscar’

('Chriomford',) — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 11:00:00 -0000

She has starred in the latest films from David Fincher, Jim Jarmusch and the Coen brothers... but her love of cinema has brought her back to Scotland, where she was born, to co-organise a portable cinema festival. Interview

'The Constitution in Verse': Brussels 'city poets' slam EU

('Sarah Truesdale',) — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 11:15:00 -0000

'So the European Union doesn’t have a political constitution? Let’s at least give it a poetic one!' 50 authors have spent months putting the finishing touches to new articles in the form of alternative and critical citizens’ verse. Close-up on an initiative from Brussels which began in January 2008

Soviet nostalgia: Russian drink, bunker parties and film in Vilnius

('Ed Saunders',) — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 11:00:00 -0000

Twenty years after the Iron Curtain, the Baltic tiger is experiencing a bout of nostalgia. A young, trendy generation, fed up of hearing about the past, is looking back at a not-quite-so ‘carefree’ childhood under the soviet regime

Gerhard Glück:'I live a middle-class life and make middle-class art'

('Andrew Christie',) — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 12:06:56 -0000

Something’s not right in next door’s garden – at home with the award-winning German caricaturist, 65, who paints miniature scenes from across the Swiss border

Verena Gerlach: 'font design is a very white male heterosexual field'

('Soili Semkina',) — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 17:01:13 -0000

Berlin is the inspiration behind the German font designer’s creations, so we meet the 38-year-old there. We talk type, women, men and originality

Tribute to Polish poster designer Franciszek Starowieyski

('Lydia Bigos',) — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 12:15:44 -0000

On 23 February 2009, Poland said goodbye to one of its most prominent artists, who died aged 79 in Warsaw. Here, we republish an extract of an interview with the award-winning painter and stage designer, aka ‘Jan Byk’

Miss Marion: the French burlesque star will 'tease you until you die'

('Nabeelah Shabbir',) — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 15:29:09 -0000

The 32-year-old from Normandy performs a 'slowed-down' version of burlesque. A dance historically popular in eras of depression, her latest show updates the genre, combining nipple tassels and an iPhone - an accessible escape for Europeans in recession

In Buzescu, Roma architecture is surreal real estate

('Annie Rutherford',) — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 17:00:00 -0000

We clatter by train through Romania to the small village where the former nomadic Roma are building palaces they design themselves in the middle of Wallachia – with neither consent nor plans. Feature

MasturbArt with David Cerny in Brussels

('Jessie L.',) — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 18:02:57 -0000

With touches of political incorrectness and impudence, the iconoclastic Czech artist is teaching tourists in Brussels about European geography. His 'Entropa' installation - which cost £350, 000 - sends up European stereotypes, and remains a hot topic amongst politicians and the inquisitive

Liz Solo: art on Second Life

Tue, 26 Feb 2008 12:00:00 -0000

Taunting performances and installations on the edge – in pixels. We meet the Canadian musician in the virtual 3D world

Art: from Polish porn to Belgian faeces machines

Wed, 13 Feb 2008 12:00:00 -0000

Does art have to be beautiful? Is beauty in the eye of the beholder? Five portraits of artists who dabble along the limits of aesthetics, morality and comfort zone to constantly try and provoke society

Gunther von Hagens: ‘An anatomical exposition without publicity is like a theatre without a programme’

('Katha Kloss',) — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 12:00:00 -0000

The 'plastinator' often hits European headlines with his 'Body Worlds' exhibition. Of course he will be having his own body plastinated, he says - interview