Musée McCord Museum 21.11.2014 - 12.04.2015

Français plus bas

LOVE IN FINE FASHION

The latest exhibition at the McCord Museum is all about fashion and love through the years. What I loved about this show are the magnificent lace, the silk, the pearls, the brides and the stories. For every piece presented you will have the date of the wedding, the name of the bride, and for many, the name of the designer. Every piece is also presented with a popular quote that speaks of love and relationships. CYNTHIA COOPER, chief curator for costumes and textiles put together this delicious morsel that is sure to touch the romantic heart of every girl regardless of her age. And if you want a career in fashion, this is a must to refresh your excitement over high fashion possibilities. After all fashion is all about romance.

For younger visitors, and some not so young, The Island of Toys exhibition is ongoing. Beautifully crafted toys that you can play with are sure to please the kids.

FRANÇAIS

L'AMOUR SOUS TOUTES SES COUTURES

La plus récente exposition au Musée McCord est dévouée entièrement à la mode et l'amour à travers les années. Ce que j'ai adoré de cette exposition sont les magnifiques dentelles, le satin, les perles, les mariées et les histoires. Pour chaque pièce présentée vous avez la date du mariage, le nom de la mariée, et dans plusieurs cas le nom du designer. Chaque pièce est aussi présentée avec une citation populaire qui parle d'amour et de relation. CYNTHIA COOPER, commissaire de l'exposition et du département Costume et textiles a rassemblé ce délicieux petit bonbon qui est certain de toucher le coeur de toutes les filles qu'importe leur âge. Et si vous voulez faire carrière dans la mode c'est un must pour rafraîchir votre passion pour les possibilités de la haute couture. Après tout la mode et l'amour font bon mariage.

Pour les visiteurs plus jeunes, et ceux qui ne sont pas si jeunes, l'exposition L'Île aux Jouets se poursuit. Des jouets artisanaux d'une grande beauté avec lesquels vous pouvez jouer sont garantis de plaire aux petits.

-LENA GHIO

PHENOMENE ART IV : The Fourth Dimension, Phase 3, preface The Warrior's Recapitulation p.2

In the spring of 1999, I began work on Phenomene Art IV : The Fourth Dimension. Phenomene Art was my way of using art to Turn The Wheel of Time:

      When I talk about time, I am not referring to something which is measured by the movement of a clock. Time is the essence of attention; the Indescribable Force 's emanations are made out of time; and properly, when one enters into any aspect of the other self, one is becoming acquainted with time.       The wheel of time is like a state of heightened awareness which is part of the other self, as the left side awareness is part of the self of everyday life. It can physically be described as a tunnel of infinite length and width; a tunnel with reflective furrows. Every furrow is infinite, and there are infinite numbers of them. Living creatures are compulsorily made, by the force of life, to gaze into one furrow. To gaze into it means to be trapped by it, to live that furrow.       Will belongs to the wheel of time. It is something like the runner of a vine, or an intangible tentacle which all of us possess. A warrior's final aim is to learn to focus it on the wheel of time in order to make it turn. Warriors who have succeeded in turning the wheel of time can gaze into any furrow and draw from it whatever they desire. To be trapped compulsorily in one furrow of time entails seeing the images of that furrow only as they recede. To be free from the spellbinding force of those grooves means that one can look in either direction, as images recede or as they approach.       * * *       Warriors have no life of their own. From the moment they understand the nature of awareness, they cease to be persons and the human condition is no longer part of their view. You have your duty as a warrior and nothing else is important. So do your best. - Carlos Castaneda

to fulfill and be free, once and for all, of the metaphysical and disturbing link I had with Michel de Notre-Dame, the famous prophet known as Nostradamus.

Sketch Century I Quatrain 2 © Lena Ghio 1999
  La vierge en main mise au milieu de Branches
De l'onde il moulle & le l'imbe & le pied:
Vn peur & voix fremissent par les manches:
Splendeur diuine. Le diuin pres s'assied.

The wand in the hand is placed in the middle of
the tripod's legs.
With water he sprinkles both the hem of his garment
and his foot.
A voice, fear: he trembles in his robes.
Divine splendour; the god sits nearby.

To research my artistic project, I read all the annoying quatrains and pulled out those that referred to le Verbe, the Word, or l'aigle, the eagle because these expressions are metaphors of the symbol of the pentagram, the five pointed star, that was imprinted in the palm of my right hand during a very specific Alignment Geometry of Celestial Mechanic.



The directive idea of the exhibition was that Notre-Dame was also a healer. My reasoning was that this must have been the motivation behind his bizarre corpus that captured human imagination, to bring forth a healing energy to mankind.

Sketch Century II Quatrain 27 © Lena Ghio 1999
  Le diuin verbe sera du ciel frappé,
Qui ne pourra proceder plus auant:
Du reseruant le secret estoupé,
Qu'on marchera par dessus & deuant.

The divine word will be struck from the sky,
One who cannot proceed any further:
The secret closed up with the revelation,
Such that they will march over and ahead.

Although I wish every living creature a blessed life, my motivation was to liberate myself from what I can only describe as a singular possession by forces I did not understand.

To be continued...

-LENA GHIO

PHENOMENE ART IV : The Fourth Dimension, Phase 3, preface The Warrior's Recapitulation

© Lena Ghio

A few years ago I was privileged to have a profound conversation with VIK MUNIZ, a famous Brazilian artist. One of the things he shared with me was that when he looked back on his entire artistic practice he recognized that an unconscious pattern kept repeating itself and that he only recognized this action of his subconscious by reviewing his early works.

In 2003 I was creating my first OMIs. I did this self-portrait trying to imagine the impact of my hypothesis on the creative force of time and space. The OMIs are built with a specific relationship to the disposition of the planets in the solar system in relation to the earth. The theory is that what the planets design in a moment can become manifest on the earthly planes.  When I saw this image last year I was stunned! But it makes such perfect sense in explaining my perception of reality. For example I cannot retain the makes of cars, I rarely distinguish the details of the different brands but rather see them as masses that are threatening.

Today, I am within five days of completing a major planetary cycle that colored most of my adult life, a long Saturn cycle. I can finally come to terms with the meaning of this strange drawing. I did this drawing after having practiced the Mastery of the Stars for ten years. By then I applied the principles of Mastering the Stars to my art.

Now I recognize that the central character is a person that is disassociated from conventional reality and

© Lena Ghio

I understand why. As a child, I endured a lot of violence from my brutal father. I was also extremely neglected by my mother. Her explanation was that she had six children. Psychologists today have recognized that children who are systematically abused cope with the uncontrollable events by disassociating from what is happening. I remember that often when my father was battering me with uncontrollable fury I was singing a song in my head. The other element that contributes to the manifestation of this particular character is that I am myopic, but my mother categorically refused to buy me eyeglasses. She claimed I was faking myopic vision because she had gotten eyeglasses for two of my brothers, one of whom never needed eyeglasses in his life. I spent all my formative years in myopic blindness. My reality was a menacing ghost world where other children mocked me and found me stupid. I could not read facial expressions. I could not see the makes of cars as they whizzed by.

The second drawing, done the same day, is my psyche trying to come to terms with what it means to Master the Stars. How would this manifest in my human life? How would it affect my aging? The more insidious element is why on earth would I want to put myself through such an unworldly process as trying to master the whole solar system. What a testimony to the feelings of loss and inadequacy cultivated inside of me by my parents.

To be continued...

-LENA GHIO

EMERGE ART & VEUVE CLICQUOT

© Lena Ghio 2014   CHEERS!

Français plus bas 

For the first time in human history, an image created by the ancient practice of scrying and modern age technology is the basis of an exciting visual design! The design can be seen on the VEUVE CLICQUOT voting page. 

If you love it you can vote fot it everyday until the end of the competition on December 15 2014!

FRANÇAIS

Pour la première fois dans l'histoire de l'humanité une image créée par la lecture de l'eau et la technologie actuelle forme la base d'un design excitant! Ce design est figuré sur la la page de vote VEUVE CLICQUOT. 

Si vous l'aimez, vous pouvez votez une fois par jour tous les jours jusqu'à la fin de la compétition le 15 décembre 2014!

CHEERS!

-LENA GHIO

NEW KNOWLEDGE / NEW ECONOMY Part 1 : The Problem with Asteroid Mining

Le Cirque Noir © -LENA GHIO 2014 Photographed July 18 2013. A strange creature is driving a sports car in the center.

« The key to successful investing is not seeing the future with some kind of mythical vision — it is seeing the present with clarity. » 

Posted on November 19, 2014 by Dr David Kelly, Stephanie Flanders and Tai Hui 

WorldView 4Q 2014

For many years I have worked at Molson Brewery now Molson Coors. I was present for many meetings and conferences by international business leaders and world bankers as they worked on financial strategies for the investments of large multinational corporations. I was awed by how far in the future their planning and calculations would venture.  When I read this quote this morning on JP Morgan’s site I felt compelled to respond to a project that has been nagging me.

I address this article to billionaires and ask them to consider where they invest their money with a bit more perspicacity, for their sake as well as ours. The problem with the opening quote is twofold and paradoxical. On the one hand there are real issues to deal with in the present that need down to earth solutions. On the other hand if you don’t look into the future consequences of your decisions, you could be creating needless catastrophes that will endanger us all.

The first case I want to look at is the one proposed by PLANETARY RESOURCES  to mine asteroids. I have argued about this with passionate friends who are blinded by the promise of the infinite riches buried in the celestial bodies. They are ready to leap without seeing if they have a foothold. Here I want to bring to the fore some new knowledge that is ignored by the engineers and investors in this case and that could have very serious consequences.

Planetary Resource is not wrong in its assessment of the endless riches available in the universe. It is wrong because it is not approaching the project with sound knowledge of the physics of the universe. Primarily, they do not know how to send a human body in outer space, in 0 gravity, for sustained period of time without that body withering away. They do not know how to create a plant ecosystem in outer space that would replenish the atmosphere and feed animals.

Secondly, they are totally oblivious to the impact the shift in mass could have on life here on earth. My experiment with amaryllis plants has shown that the way mass is distributed in the solar system affects the mass of plants. This is the knowledge that must be mastered by engineers, this understanding of how gravity and mass inform life, before they can begin the project. Those scientific fields of study that could assist the project have not even vetted this very novel hypothesis yet.

To be successful, scientists and engineers will need to master the Theory of Extra Dimensions. They are currently envisioning the project with the archaic flat-world view. On earth this works because we are familiar with our time of celestial mechanics, we are adapted to the cycles of the gravitational waves that mould our environment. But out there, we have no clear notion of how gravity will affect our perception of reality and our bodies at every level.

Have they calculated exactly how much natural resources will be needed to fly crews into space to harvest materials that may or may not return to earth? Can current standards of life support the transfer of these resources into such a costly endeavor?

Now lets say all this works out. It has cost billions and billions of dollars to do, it has used up billions and billions of dollars worth of natural resources. Who will have the money to buy all the platinum they will bring back? Will it still be such a desirable substance when the probabilities are that what we will need most of all is fresh water and fresh air?

Thirdly, how have they measured the human factor? Before the imagined luxurious Space Hiltons are built and operational with fresh water and oxygen mined from the asteroids, the project will need a large specialized workforce to get it done. If we remember past human exploits in uncharted territories, like the building of railroads in America for example, we know men die on these job sites. How many men will suffer and loose their lives to build these things? Have the liability costs been taken into account?

To be continued... BILLIONAIRES Let's talk about your art collection

-LENA GHIO

Jeudi d'APOLLO célèbre les Femmes en Affaires ce 18 décembre 2014

Les Jeudi APOLLO sont des rencontres mensuelles organisées par l'Agence APOLLO. À chaque cocktail de résautage on rencontre des personnalités de toutes les sphères d'activité, on échantillone leurs produits et services et surtout on le fait en s'amusant!

À chaque année l'Agence APOLLO reconnais la contribution de femmes d'affaires exceptionnelles. Voici la liste des lauréates de l'année 2014:

Les célébrations auront lieu le 18 décembre 2014 au Piccolo Rialto. Suivez ce lien pour vous enrégistrer et venir rencontrer du monde exceptionnel!

-LENA GHIO

HAMLET as told by The Tiger Lillies

Bottom left: NANNA TROUVER KOPPEL as Ophelia, Top left ZLATKO BURIC as Clausius, Center left MARTYN JACQUES of The Tiger Lillies, Center CASPAR PHILLIPSON as Hamlet, Center Bottom ADRIAN HUGE of The Tiger Lillies,  Center right ADRIAN STOUT of The Tiger Lillies, Top right MORTEN CHRISTENSEN as Laertes-Polonius, Bottom right CHARLOTTE ENGELKES as Gertrude photo © MIKLOS SZABO

Life is full of surprises! Last Saturday, I was sipping on a cola when I recognized a man who had worked at the same radio station I had. I raised my hand to say hi! when a stunning woman said a warm open greeting as she unexpectedly merged on this acquaintance. As a journalist, I have met so many people it took a while to realize I did not know this person, but we looked familiar to each other. She is the performance artist and director CHARLOTTE ENGELKES who was in Montreal for REPUBLIQE.DK 's presentation of Hamlet as told by The TIGER LILLIES

This show is a unique experience that is difficult to describe, but I will give it a shot. The set is multilayered in such a way that the lead singer of The Tiger Lillies, MARTYN JACQUES,  always appears in the forefront, his white pre-war Berlin cabaret make-up like a mask popping out of the dark.
You can clearly hear every word he sings. His "Criminal Castrato" surname becomes quite explicit as with suavity he chants dark tales of sex, murder, betrayal and madness. His two acolytes, ADRIAN STOUT and ADRIAN HUGE are just as wickedly playful.

The mix of circus art, video art, set design, and the precise performances of the cast member transports us into a dark surrealist world where everyone appears quite deliciously MAD!

The show is on an international tour so I recommend you follow the links in the article to find out when and where they will appear in a theater near you! DO NOT MISS IT!

-LENA GHIO

THE TIGER LILLIES after the show, signing and selling their CD's. phot © Lena Ghio 2014

Two architects, two countries, creating space / Deux architectes, deux pays, la création de l'espace CCA 04.11.2014 - 19.04.2015

Français en bleu

Left, gauche Bijoy Jain ; Right, droite Umberto Riva
photos © Lena Ghio 2014

ROOMS YOU MAY HAVE MISSED: UMBERTO RIVA, BIJOY JAIN

Architects are the most fascinating artists. To accomplish their vision, they must take into account mathematics and design then superimpose this onto a natural environment subject to all the complex forces of physics. In this exhibition, UMBERTO RIVA from Italy and BIJOY JAIN from India show us how they use design and nature to invent warm livable spaces in very constricted areas.

Umberto Riva Architetto
Photo Ezio Frea ©

The CCA interrupted its investigation of the impact of the digital on architectural practices to examine how architects deal with regional limitations and material availability. In both case studies the principle limitation is the space available to accommodate the inhabitants of the structures. Their approaches are as radically different as the landscapes in which they actualize their projects.

Riva creates all the designs of the project he is working on, regardless of the scale. Touring the exhibition you will see his lamps, his paintings, how he reframes a window to create depth in tiny spaces. Jain focuses on engaging the specialized knowledge of traditional craftsmen and sources local methods and materials to form bricks from the soil, to use the cycles of the Moon to keep water in wells. Curator: MIRKO ZARDINI

It is pure delight to investigate how these brilliant creators enlarged their world.

DES PIÈCES À NE PAS MANQUER: UMBERTO RIVA, BIJOY JAIN

Les architectes sont les artistes les plus fascinants. Pour accomplir leurs visions, ils doivent prendre en considération les mathématiques,   le design et ensuite superposer le tout dans un environnement naturel sujet à toutes les forces complexes de la physique. Dans cette exposition, UMBERTO RIVA d’Italie et BIJOY JAIN de l’Inde nous montrent comment ils se servent du design et de la nature pour inventer des espaces chaleureux et vivables dans des endroits très restreints.

© Studio Mumbai Architects

Le CCA a interrompu son investigation de l’impact du numérique sur les pratiques architecturales  pour examiner comment les architectes  négocient les limitations régionales ainsi que la disponibilité des matières premières. Dans les deux études, la principale limitation est l’espace disponible pour accommoder les habitants de ces structures.

Riva façonne toutes les styliques de l’ensemble des projets dans lesquels il s’investit indépendamment  de la mesure. Alors que vous circulez dans l’exposition, vous verrez ses lampes, ses toiles, comment il recadre une fenêtre pour créer de la profondeur dans les petits espaces. Jain puise dans le savoir-faire tacite des artisans traditionnels et fait appel aux méthodes et matériaux locaux pour former des briques, pour se servir des cycles de la Lune pour conserver l’eau dans les puits. Commissaire: MIRKO ZARDINI

C’est un pur délice d’investiguer comment ces brillants créateurs ont élargi leur monde.

ALSO A MUST / UN AUTRE MUST: Found in translation PALLADIO-JEFFERSON 15.02.2015

© Filippo Romano

Thomas Jefferson was inspired by the Italian architect Andrea Palladio and used the Italian's ideal of buildings with huge white columns supporting a triangular roof to influence the vision of the emerging nation. GUIDO BELTRAMI and FILIPPO ROMANO who is also the photographer of the many structures seen in the projections, propose a space where you can sit and contemplate the many images of buildings designed in those concepts. It is hypnotic and restful. Remember there is a speciality library at the CCA where you can investigate any subject more profoundly.

Thomas Jefferson était inspiré par l’architecte italien Andrea Palladio et s’est servi de l’idéal de l’Italien pour les édifices avec des immenses colonnes blanches et des toits triangulaires pour influencer la vision de la nation émergeante. GUIDO BELTRAMI et FILIPPO ROMANO, qui est aussi le photographe des structures qui sont représentées dans les projections, proposent un espace où vous pouvez vous asseoir et contempler les images abondantes des édifices construits avec ces concepts. C’est hypnotique et reposant. Rappelez vous que le CCA détient une librairie de livres spécialisés où vous pouvez investiguer ces sujets plus profondément.

-LENA GHIO

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay part 1

TRAILER

The long awaited part 3 of this epic movie series opens after Katniss Everdeen, JENNIFER LAWRENCE, has destroyed the games and goes to District 13 because District 12 has been destroyed.  She has left Peeta Mellark, JOSH HUTCHERSON, behind and she is anguished by what may have happened to him.

Everything in this movie is deeply symbolic. The white rose, the mockingjay, the skulls and skeletons. The movie is dark and foreboding. There are no spectacles with chariots and designer clothes, but propaganda as both sides in the conflict try to gather troops. To add to the unbearable gloom, we witness a fine performance by PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN as Plutarch Heavensbee, whom we know has died before the final shooting of the film. I kept looking at his face for clues as to why things turned out so badly for him. At one point I noticed he had sores around his mouth. I winced.

By the end of the movie, the stage is set for the final conflict and we discover Peeta's tragic fate.

-LENA GHIO

LA JEUNE MILLIONNAIRE - Eliane Gamache Latourelle / MARC FISHER

(De gauche à droite) Isabelle Maréchal, maitre de cérémonie, Hugues Gélinas de Plan Santé (commanditaire), Angela D'Angelo de la Banque Nationale (commanditaire), Éliane Gamache Latourelle (La Jeune Millionnaire), Johanne Boivin de Joanel (commanditaire), Caroline Codsi, co-présidente d'honneur de la soirée, Marc Fisher, co-auteur du livre et Annie Dupont, Directrice des commandites et de l'organisation événementielle.

Lundi le 17 novembre 2014 je me suis rendue au lancement du livre LA JEUNE MILLIONNAIRE et les secrets - parfois tristes- de son succès par Eliane Gamache Latourelle avec MARC FISHER. J'étais intriguée par l'histoire d'une jeune femme qui était endettée à l'âge de 24 ans, fille d'un père traumatisé par l'angoisse financière, et déçue dans ses amours qui s'est prise en main et a foncé de l'avant. Son histoire soulève le défi de la jeunesse de notre époque au féminin autant qu'au masculin, avec un note supplémentaire de complication alors que le terrain des affaires est toujours plus ardu pour les femmes.

Je l'ai rencontré brièvement mais j'ai demandé pour une entrevue plus sérieuse auprès de cette jeune femme acceuillante et naturelle. Elle est bien secondée mais elle accorde aux autres une place sous son soleil, ce que j'ai trouvé extraordinaire.

-Maintenant disponible partout.

Eliane a supporté l'artiste DAGE, ( à gauche ) en l'acceuillant
à son lancement et en exposant quelques-unes de ses toiles.
Johanne Boivin, de JOANEL Boutique est une des
commanditaires de l'auteure et a offert un magnifique
porte-feuille à tous les invités.

-LENA GHIO

THE SENTEBALE POLO CUP RESULTS WITH PRINCE HARRY AND NACHO FIGUERAS IN PICTURES

Two great Polo players
and friends,
Prince Harry & Nacho Figueras

Before the game, the guests were taken to an elegant dinner.

Let me share the billionaire experience with you in pictures! As reported below, the event is a fund raiser for the SENTEBALE Foundation that assists children in Lesotho South Africa.

Prince Harry, Christian Horner
& Geri Haliwell

After dinner the guests were taken to the elegant field to
watch the game in style.

Watching the game!

And the winners, The Huntsman
Sentebale Team!

Prince Harry and Nacho Figueras in opposing teams at the 5th Sentebale Polo Cup in Abu Dhabi

Prince Harry playing polo in 2013

What an exciting polo match for charity, PRINCE HARRY and one of my favorite athletes in the world NACHO FIGUERAS will be in opposing line-ups for this 5th SENTEBALE POLO CUP to be played in Abu Dabi this November 20th.

Prince Harry holding the winning
cup in 2013

Nacho Figueras &
his wife Delphine

Sentebale Polo Club was the brainchild of Prince Harry in 2010. The annual event raises money for healthcare and education for some of the most vulnerable children in Lesotho in southern Africa, many victims of HIV/AIDs.

Prince Harry will play for The Sentebale Huntsman team against Figueras' St.Regis team. The winner will get the Sentebale Polo Cup.

-LENA GHIO

Andrew Molson Chairman of the Board / président du conseil d'administration @ Pointe-à-Callière

ANDREW MOLSON

Français plus bas

Today it is announced that Mr ANDREW MOLSON has become Chairman of the Board for the Archeological Museum Pointe-à-Callière. The Molson family is a bedrock for the city of Montreal with a hand in an incalculable amount of sound cultural, social and financial investments that have enriched our city. The most well known are the Montreal Canadian Hockey Club and of course the best beer in the world, MOLSON.
I have had the great pleasure and the privilege to have worked many years for Molson Brewery, Molson Coors  where I have grown to know the exceptional spirit of M. Andrew Molson and his family.

FRANÇAIS

Aujourd'hui j'ai reçu la nouvelle du Musée Archéologique Pointe-à-Callière que M. ANDREW MOLSON est élu président du conseil du musée. La famille Molson est un socle pour la ville de Montréal alors qu'elle a une main dans une quantité incalculable de solides investissements culturels, sociaux et financiers qui ont enrichi notre ville. Le plus célèbre de ceux-ci est le Club de Hockey des Canadiens de Montréal et bien sûre, la meilleure bière au monde, la bière MOLSON.

J'ai eu le grand plaisir et le privilège de travailler plusieurs années chez la Brasserie Molson, Molson Coors  où j'ai appris à connaître l'esprit exceptionnel de  M. Andrew Molson et sa famille. 

CHEERS!

-LENA GHIO

WARHOL, Shirin Neshat & WW I

Français plus bas

A busy month at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts with several exhibitions opening. On November 6th 2014, the exhibition Warhol Mania begins. It is such an interesting show, the brain child of well known Montreal collector and art historian PAUL MARÉCHAL and collaborator DIANE CHARBONNEAU curator of decorative arts and contemporary design for the Museum. It is hard to imagine that no one until now had thought of doing such a comprehensive study of this facet of Warhol's work that constitutes decades of his practice. Accompanying the exhibition are two catalogues raisonnés: Andy Warhol The Complete Commissioned Posters 1964-1987 and Andy Warhol The Complete Commissioned Magazine Work, the result of years of intensive research. We revisit the colorful illustrations that defined a generation.

SHIRIN NESHAT, Iranian born artist living in New York,  presents her work Illusions & Mirrors at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts in context with the ongoing Biennale. NATHALIE PORTMAN portrays a young woman chasing mirages, trying to "see"a reality that is endlessly shifting, following a ghost, death. The film unfolds near the ocean, a signature character of Neshat's work. A wonderful conference by the artist who will be in Montreal November 28th 2014 to give a conference at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.

Finally on November 11th, to underline the 100th anniversary of the infamous World War I, a new exhibit opened featuring propaganda posters from various countries. Art and power have always been strange bedfellows and here, taunting young men to give up their lives. A tendency that has evolved exponentially.                                                                          

Français
Warhol s'affiche, Shirin Neshat, la mort patriote

Un mois occupé au Musée des Beaux-Arts de Montréal avec plusieurs expositions qui ouvrent leur porte. Le 6 novembre 2014, l'exposition Warhol s'affiche débute. C'est une exposition tellement intéressante, une inspiration du renommé collectionneur et historien de l'art PAUL MARÉCHAL et sa collaboratrice DIANE CHARBONNEAU commissaire des arts décoratifs et du design contemporain au Musée. C'est difficile de s'imaginer que personne à ce jour n'avait conçu une recherche aussi importante sur cette facette du travail de Warhol et qui constitue des décennies de sa pratique. Deux catalogues raisonnés accompagnent l'exposition: Andy Warhol The Complete Commissioned Posters 1964-1987 and Andy Warhol The Complete Commissioned Magazine Work, le résultat de plusieurs années de recherches intensives. On y revisite les illustrations colorées qui ont défini une génération.

SHIRIN NESHAT, une artiste Iranienne vivant à  New York,  présente l'oeuvre Illusions & Mirrors au Musée des Beaux-Arts de Montréal en contexte avec la Biennale qui se poursuit. NATHALIE PORTMAN y représente une jeune femme qui devient hantée par un fantôme, une apparition qu'elle ne peut résister, alors qu'elle est prise dans un mirage amovible.  Le film se déroule au bord de la mer, un personnage signature du travail de Neshat. Une excellente conférence  de l'artiste qui sera à  Montréal le 28 Novembre 2014 au Musée des Beaux-Arts de Montréal pour donner une conférence.

Shirin Neshat & Nathalie Portman Illusions & Mirrors

Finalement ce 11 novembre dernier le Musée a inauguré une exposition d'affiches de propagande réaliser dans plusieurs pays au cours de la 1ère Guerre Mondiale  pour en souligner le centenaire. L'art et le pouvoir on toujours fait un marriage étrange et ici, tentant de séduire des jeunes hommes à donner leur vie. Une tendance qui n'a fait que grandir.

-LENA GHIO

The Theory of Everything

See trailer

The new movie based on JANE HAWKING's book "Travelling to Infinity: My Life with Stephen" opens this week. It is very moving to witness the slow descent into such a debilitating illness as Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)— Lou Gehrig's disease by such a promising young man, STEPHEN HAWKING. Along for the ride, his young wife Jane struggles with three children, lost goals, and the endless challenges of the illness.

EDDIE REDMAYNE becomes the renowned scientist right before our eyes. The resemblance is disturbingly close and gives the drama a deep sense of Dr. Hawking's life struggles. This extraordinary man of science has earned all of our awe and respect for his intelligence and his relentless pursuit of knowledge. FELICITY JONES plays Jane Hawking, and EMILY WATSON has a small role as her mother.

The science in the movie is compelling, ROGER PENROSE,  one of the foremost physicist and philosopher of our times, is one of the characters conversing with the young Stephen when he decides to embark on a quest to understand TIME.

I was awed by Eddie Redmayne's performance and saddened by the tragedy Dr Hawking and his family suffered through. The movie shows, for example, what the children lost by having such a fragile father.

-LENA GHIO 

BIENNALE MONTREAL 22.10.14 - 04.01.15 LOOKING FORWARD/L'AVENIR PART 2

Gauche/left détail Promised Land Template, 2014 Nicolas Grenier. Centre/Center Hexen Series Suzanne Treister, Droite/right Fatigues, 2014 Abbas Akhavan.

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BIENNALE MONTREAL 2014

There is a busy week ahead with two major conferences: Lawrence Weiner THE PROSAIC TYRANNY OF SYNTAX on 20.11.2014 and Thomas Hirschhorn: “Touching Reality” on 21.11.2014: and the Future Summit from 21.11.2014 to 24.11.2014 at the CCA. If you did not get your passport, you must buy a ticket. Follow the link on top for more details.

Back at the Montreal Museum of Contemporary Art, there are three artists whose works I felt a strong connection to: AMANDA BEECH with The Final Machine, HITO STEYERL with Liquidity Inc., and SUZANNE TREISTER with her Hexen series. These artists have succeeded in bringing into art form the metaphysical and the scientific in a way that is very current.

Amanda Beech © 2014 Lena Ghio

Amanda Beech approaches the video installation The Final Machine with a philosophical view. As I listened to the narration by TODD BOYCE I realized he was discussing what current neuroscientists have recently documented on how the brain creates reality and its implications for philosophical thoughts. For example by using brain scans to document our decision-making process scientists have discovered what Dr ROBERT LANZA resumes clearly:

“This and other experiments prove that the brain makes its own decisions on a subconscious level, and people only later feel that “they” have performed a conscious decision. It means that we go through life thinking that, unlike the blessedly autonomous operations of the heart and kidneys, a lever-pulling “me” is in charge of the brain’s workings. Libet concluded that the sense of personal free will arises solely from a habitual retrospective perspective of the ongoing flow of brain events.” 

And as science advances, this next quote by Dr Lanza also reflects what I heard from The Final Machine:

“Before matter can peep forth—as a pebble, a snowflake, or even a subatomic particle—it has to be observed by a living creature.”

― Robert P. Lanza, Biocentrism: How Life and Consciousness Are the Keys to Understanding the True Nature of the Universe

Hito Steyerl’s video installation is a very complex piece. Suddenly a scientific fact of astrophysics emerges in the dialogue of the film: water fills the universe. Although it references modern economics and how every natural gift of the earth is viewed as a commodity to put on world markets, the video is mesmerizing and beautiful to dream on. In the end, water submerges everything.

Suzanne Treister’s detailed drawings fascinated me. She reinvented the Tarot deck with vast contemporary scientific, economic, and political concepts that are way out there. I got involved in the labyrinth of her designs and archaic symbols that seemed to reach a profound part of my consciousness.

For some unexplained reason, the curators of the Montreal Biennale decided to elevate taxidermy to the level of legitimate contemporary art practices. So as you walk around the exhibition, you will come across the stuffed carcasses of all manners of animals provided by ABBAS AKHAVAN a Teheran born artist now living in Toronto. The “genius” of this work, Fatigues, 2014, is that he postured the dead animals as dead animals (!)

Finally I enjoyed the sober but well executed architectural installation with paintings and a cactus Promised Land Template, 2014, by Montreal born artist NICOLAS GRENIER.

FRANÇAIS

Une semaine très occupée s’annonce avec deux conférences majeures : Lawrence Weiner THE PROSAIC TYRANNY OF SYNTAX le 20.11.2014 et Thomas Hirschhorn: “Touching Reality” le 21.11.2014 : et le Sommet de l’avenir qui se tiendra du 21.11.2014 au 24.11.2014, au CCA . Suivez le lien en haut pour tous les détails.

De retour au Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal, il y a trois artistes dont le travail s’est démarqué pour moi par la connexion que je ressentais pour leurs œuvres : AMANDA BEECH avec The Final Machine, HITO STEYERL avec Liquidity Inc., et SUZANNE TREISTER avec ses Hexen series. Ces artistes ont réussi à traduire par l’art des concepts métaphysiques et scientifiques d’une manière qui est très actuelle.

Amanda Beech approche son installation vidéo  The Final Machine avec une perspective philosophique. Plus j’écoutais la narration de TODD BOYCE, plus je réalisais que la discussion tournait autour des plus récentes découvertes par les sciences neurologiques qui documentent comment le cerveau crée la réalité et les implications possibles de cela sur la pensée philosophique.

L’installation vidéo de Hito Steyer est très complexe. Soudainement en l’écoutant attentivement, j’entends une référence aux découvertes récentes des astrophysiciens sur la prévalence de l’eau dans l’univers : l’eau remplit l’univers. Quoique la pièce est contextualisée avec des références aux marchés boursiers et comment chaque cadeau de la nature est transformé en commodité à y mettre,   la vidéo est hypnotique et fait rêver. À la fin, l’eau submerge tout.

Les dessins détaillés de Suzanne Treister m’ont fascinée. Elle réinvente le Tarot avec des vastes concepts scientifiques, économiques, et politiques qui sont extrêmes mais pas inédits. Je suis devenue

Suzanne Treister © 2014 Lena Ghio 

submergée dans ses styliques et les symboles archaïques qui semblaient rejoindre une partie profonde de ma psyché.

Pour une raison inexplicable, les commissaires de la Biennale de Montréal ont décidé d’élever la taxidermie au niveau d’une pratique artistique contemporaine légitime. Donc, alors qu’on circule dans l’exposition, on croise des carcasses empaillées d’animaux de tout genre réalisé par ABBAS AKHAVAN, un artiste né à Téhéran qui vit à Toronto. Le "génie" de son oeuvre, Fatigues, 2014, est qu’il a laissé les animaux déjà morts dans une posture d’animal déjà mort ( !)

Finalement, j’ai beaucoup aimé l’installation architecturale avec peintures et cactus, sobre mais bien éxécutée, Promised Land Template, 2014,  par l’artiste Montréalais NICOLAS GRENIER.

-LENA GHIO

BIG HERO 6 in 3D

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I was so delighted with this new Disney Picture that is a perfect marriage of Manga and Hollywood. The characters are so fresh. The spongy robot named Baymax, voiced by SCOTT ADSIT, is so adorable and funny, your kids will each want one for sure! He has been created by Tadashi (DANIEL HENNEY), Hiro Hamada's (RYAN POTTER) older brother, to be a health care provider and friend to children in need. The story is about the two brothers, loss and how to go on living when the worst has happened with the help of loving friends. In the theatre, people were laughing, crying, applauding and the kids loved it! The 3D effects are superbly executed. We really feel like we are flying over the city and way up into the sky. If you are looking for a great movie to take your kids to, this is a winner!

-LENA GHIO