Seen: Miroir, mon beau miroir @ la maison Guerlain

back from Colette

Read: Mystérieux Mozart, de Philippe Sollers

Read: nouvelles orientales et désorientées, de O. Chung

Seen: Harlem, by Martine Barrat @ MEP

Diamonds are often hidden in a mass of unpleasant stone. In that case, consider the Harlem exhibition as the heart, the diamond, and the MEP other exhibitions as the mass of stone that hides the diamond...
When my friends and I were getting desperate about the photographs we saw that day at the MEP, then we got to the Harlem part. Then, miracle, our hearts warmed up, and we believed there was something in there.
Well, if I had just a word to say to the artist: Thanks!
Thanks for giving a humane look to the people of Harlem, thanks to erasing all the prejudice about Harlem. There's joy, dignity, hope and humour sparkling in Martine Barrat's photographs. Run and see the exhibition! I particularly loved the reconstruction of a bar, where she would often go, and give some pics of her photographs models, retranscribing and leaving a spur of these people that America tries to forget.







Courtesy MEP website for the pics

Seen: Micro ondes, by Rogerio Reis, @ MEP

Seen from afar, this photograph-installation would have looked like one of these trendy piece of art you'd see at Palais de Tokyo, under the reign of MOW. However, looking closely at the pics... As in the case of the requisitoire exhibition, everything relies on the point of view, distance you keep with the piece of art. It is very tempting to keep a distance towards these two exhibitions, but then, you get caught by the reality/realities stuck in there. Do you hear "the horror, the horror" (yes, a wink to Conrad's Heart of Darkness), mumbling from the piece of art? You could not hear it and leave the white cube with a disgusted look, but the images in there could not get out of my mind for a couple of days...

Seen, Martin d'Orgeval, Requisitoire, le plancher de Jean

For some people, writing, drawing, was a therapy. For this schizophrenic called Jean, it was maybe a way to survive and struggle. Disturbing point: unveils very bluntly the harshness of the creative process, its very intimate link to suffering in some ways. Martin d'Orgeval witnessed a bit of Jean's soul through the pics he took from/within Jean's distance towards his work.








Courtesy MEP website for the pics

Seen: Choi, autoportraits

Courtesy MEP website for the pics

After seeing the nu series, then came the Choi autoportrait. Title related to hell. Well found. The morbid narcissism somehow did not please us... We left quickly

Seen: livres de nus, @ MEP

Seen that exhibition with Emilie and Marie-Pierre. There was obviously something weirdo in there, just after seeing the disturbing Larry Clark...
Well, I was mostly striken by the cliche-style of the exhibition, especially about the glamour, and the Japanese eroticism. Anyway, don't spend too much time in there...








Courtesy la MEP for the pics

Frauen des Morgenlandes (Femmes d'Orient), Zurich, Orell Füssli, 1929

Études de nus par Germaine Krull, Paris, Librairie des Arts décoratifs, 1930

How I Photography Myself, New York, Barnes, 1964

The Incredible Case of The Stack O'Wheats Murders, New York, A limited edition folio by Les Krims, 1972

Lee Friedlander, Nudes, New York, Pantheon Books, 1991

Seen: Larry Clark, Tulsa, @ MEP

Seen last Wednesday, with Emilie and Marie-Pierre.
Very strong photos, sometimes too much, sometimes unbearable. In Larry Clark's photographs, violence tends to seem static, which is all the more scary. The kind of photographs I liked three years ago. I guess I grew a bit since that...








Courtesy MEP website for the pics

je suis né à Tulsa, Oklahoma en 1943. j’ai commencé à me shooter aux amphétamines à 16 ans. je me suis shooté tous les jours, pendant trois ans, avec des copains, puis j’ai quitté la ville mais je suis revenu.
Une fois que l’aiguille est rentrée, elle ne ressort plus. » Larry Clark, préface de Tulsa, 1971

small things make a mouse happy...

Yesterday, I went to the doctor, for the traditional pre-work med visit. Good news: I grew up. Sounds incredible, but it's true. I am now 1m55. The weight-controller also told me that I lost 4 pounds. Waw. Too many good news at once. Needless to say, I strutted out of the med office like a peacock!!

The Wanna-Sees by the mouse

Arts visuels

Du 11 octobre au 27 janvier 2008: Prix Mies Van der Rohe
A la Cité de l'Architecture et du Patrimoine

Du 24 octobre au 21 novembre 2007: Visualités
Au Centre Culturel Coréen

Jusqu'au 6 janvier 2008: Intrusions
Au Petit Palais

Arts de la scène

28, 29, 31 octobre, 1, 3, 4 novembre: Songe de Médée, Preljocaj/Mc Gregor
A l'opéra Garnier

10 novembre 2007: Pansori
Au quai Branly

du 6 décembre: début de la fin du commencement, Sean O'Casey
A la comédie française

du 17 janvier au 13 février 2008: Machine sans cible, partition pour 7 comédiens, Gildas Milin
Au théâtre de la Colline

du 23 janvier au 23 février 2008 (relâche le 3, 10, 12, 13, 19 février): Les belles âmes, de Lydie Salvayre
Au théâtre de Chaillot

du 26 janvier à fin mai 2008: Penthésilée de Kleist
A la Comédie Française

du 30 janvier au 24 février 2008: St François, le divin jongleur
Studio théâtre de la Comédie Française

4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16, 17, 18, 19 février: Orphée et Eurydice, Glück, par Pina Bausch
Opéra Garnier

du 7 février au 19 février 8: Protokol, Prokop
Au théâtre Chaillot

du 12 février au 8 mars 2008: la festa de Spiro Scimone
Au théâtre du Vieux Colombier

du 14 février au 16 février 2008: le facteur temps, de Hans Ulrich Obrist
Théâtre du Chatelet

du 14 février au 17 février: Glass tooth de Saburo Teshigawara
Théâtre du Chatelet

du 14 février au 23 février: la Bossa Fataka de Rameau, de Montalvo Hervieu
Théâtre de Chaillot

du 1er mars à fin juin: Juste la fin du monde, de Lagarce
Salle Richelieu de la Comédie Française

du 12 mars au 5 avril: Falstaff d'après Henri IV de Shakespeare, Valère Novarina
Théâtre de Chaillot

du 13 mars au 20 avril 2007: douce vengeance et autres sketches, Hanokh Levin
Comédie Française

du 13 mars au 5 avril: la estupidez, la connerie, de Rafael Spregelburd
Théâtre de Chaillot

du 26 mars au 27 avril 2008: Bonheur?
Théâtre du Vieux Colombier

27 avril 2008: les quatres saisons, Preljocaj
Théâtre du Chatelet

29 mars, 1, 7, 10, 13, 19 avril, Wozzeck de Berg
Opéra Bastille

5, 8, 11, 15, 17, 21, 22, 23, 24, 27, 28, 29 mars, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9 avril, Noureev/Balanchine/Forsythe
Opéra

20, 26, 30 avril, 3, 5, 7, 10, 13, 19, 22, 26, 29 mai: le barbier de Séville, mis en scène par Coline Serreau
Opéra

28, 30 avril, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10, 11 mai 2008, Mats Ek, La maison de Bernada
Opéra Garnier

Du 20 mai au 29 juin 2: Yerma de Lorca
Théâtre du Vieux Colombier

du 19 au 21 juin 2008: Décréation de Forsythe
Théâtre de Chaillot

23, 25, 26, 28, 30 juin, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12 juillet: la dame aux camélias
Opéra Garnier

30 juin, 3, 7, 9, 13, 14 juillet: Signes, de Carolyn Carlson
Opéra Bastille

Bintou Were au théâtre du Chatelet

Yesterday, I went and saw an African opera at Théâtre du Chatelet. This was my birthday present for two friends from hogh school, Marjo and Nathalie.
It was an amasing opera!

The first part may have sounded a bit too exaggerated sometimes. Dealing with themes such as rape, machism,and cliches around immigrations. Themes to which I am sort of familiar, unfortunately, after a few stays in Africa, both Western and Eastern.

The second part was by the best part. Much much better than the first part.

Interestingly, I guess I was intrigued by the term used to depict what I've seen. Opera. Well, it may be a premiere for Africans to perform opera. Very interesting appropriation of that form of art. Voices were not trained as in traditional opera. Something very natural and crystal clear in that. A couple of singers had impressing voices, that could have well been heard in traditional opera.

I was first feeling a bit lost because of the paucity of details in the setting; only that sand colour floor, and lights changing. However, actually, that was enough when you think of it. The opera in itself is rich enough: magnificent costumes, music and dances. Maybe the acoustique did not help a few singers, and the musicians, but the good singers were to be heard anyway.

That musical fable should/must be listened to in other places as well, because it tackled too important themes. You could accuse them of flirting sometimes with cliches, but in the end, the opera should help Africa to feel empowered in some ways. Africa has a future of its own, shouldered by artists such as those who performed in the Theatre du Chatelet.

And; probably, the best achieving of this opera would have consisted in making people that would not go to the Opera feel welcomed in the gilded setting. I will never forget all the bravos and the ten minute standing ovation at the end...

Bintou Were, a Sahel Opera (scene a)

Seen this African opera yesterday. Was just so great!

FIAC @ Grand Palais