The design for the new Vancouver Art Gallery has been published, and although so far opinions are split widely about designers Herzog & de Meuron’s vision, the largest voting segment on CBC’s poll is, “Really can’t stand it. It must be stopped.” Of 1,533 voters 532 said they “couldn’t stand” the new design. Very few … Read more
PARIS — Women of the night and their artistic impact is the subject of a major exhibition at the Musée d’Orsay in Paris. The show focuses on prostitution seen through the eyes of painters between 1850 and 1910. This extraordinary undertaking, whose title is borrowed from Honoré de Balzac’s controversial novel ‘Splendeurs et Misères des Courtisanes’ (The Splendours and Miseries … Read more
In a press conference at the Osaka Stock Exchange in Osaka, Japan, newly appointed Nintendo President Tatsumi Kimishima spoke to reporters regarding the state of the company and what direction it was headed in. Kimishima previously served as the president of Nintendo of America from 2002 to 2006 until he handed over the reigns to … Read more
Born in Beirut in 1952, Mona Hatoum is of Palestinian descent and British nationality. This latest exhibition of an unprecedented scale has gathered over 100 works of this leading contemporary artist in various media, ranging from performance, video, photography, works on paper to installation and sculpture. Some of the must-sees are highlighted for you here … Read more
A mixed bag of images fails to hold your attention Read more
The human experience on Earth. This is what French photographer and director Yann Arthus-Bertrand tried to capture in his last movie ‘Human,’ which premiered Saturday simultaneously at both the 72nd Venice Film Festival and the United Nations in New York City. While some qualified ‘Human’ as the Godfrey Reggio’s ‘Koyaanisqatsi’ of our generation, Yann Arthus-Bertrand … Read more
Brace yourselves, the biopics are coming in full force The Oscar bait films are in bound, and to lead the pack is “Legend.” Hot off the heels of “Straight Outta Compton,” “Legend” follows the tale of Reggie Kray (Tom Hardy) and Ronnie Kray (Tom Hardy) as they take over the entirety of the 60’s London … Read more
Springfield, Missouri is home to the National Audio Company — or as it is colloquially known, the Last Cassette Factory. It’s a fairly self-explanatory name. NAC is indeed the last major producer of audio cassette tapes still in business in the United States — a business that’s better than ever thanks to the retro movement encouraging … Read more
To foster diversity and inspire acceptance of all, an incredible ‘Human Library’ in Denmark is allowing people to check out “interactive books” for half an hour. Its main difference from a ‘traditional’ library, however, is that the words are coming from humans volunteering to tell their tales. Readers who venture to ‘The Human Library’ can … Read more
The National Building Museum in Washington, DC, has become host to THE BEACH, an installation that emulates a natural landscape while flying in the face of museum tradition. The oddly commercialized, sleek shoreline is a vaguely humorous, somewhat subversive take on multiple modes of summer leisure. The show, running until September 7th, 2015, is getting … Read more
Both Alsop and the orchestra know what they’re doing, but the results aren’t quite magical ★★★★☆ As we move towards the 25th anniversary of Bernstein’s death, his one-time protégée Marin Alsop is moving from strength to strength. Music Director at the Baltimore and São Paulo State Symphony Orchestras, Alsop made history in 2013 by becoming the first woman … Read more
The biopic is a classic genre in film that usually leads to award season opportunities as well as audience and critical acclaim, but where most biopics focus on those historical characters that are largely considered to be “good” people, “Straight Outta Compton” focuses on the endlessly controversial world of gangsta rap, specifically the pioneering group … Read more