BLACK HISTORY MONTH • February 2023

poster created by Montreal artist Taïna Mueth

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Black History Month is special to me. Growing up, one of our closest family friends were a black family. My mother and that family's mother became close friends as young women working in the garment industry. It is hard to put into words the love these two women had for each other. Her daughter was a wonderful friend and playmate for me and she grew up to become a doctor. As a child, especially since we were close to a black family, I didn't get why these wonderful people were so maligned. I remember once when the two ladies were talking about financial and work related obstacles that her friend added :"... and there is always our colour..." The two dear friends have been gone for decades now but their delightful friendship lasted till the end.

Growing up, I enjoyed so many black artists I could fill this entire article with their names. That is why I am so happy to share with you the fact that Black History Month  is back, and rich with interesting, challenging and exciting activities!

The Round Table on Black History Month

If you are lucky, you may find the annual calendar that features names, biographies and photographs of the laureates of 2023, personalities that shine through with their accomplishments. I am lucky to know some of them. Here is the list:

« Like every year, the Round Table on Black History Month produces and distributes a free annual calendar that highlights the laureates for that year. For this edition, photographer Dominique Claire Marie photographed the 12 laureates. To learn more about each of them — Nicole Antoine, Carla Beauvais, Robert Berrouet Oriol, Kym Dominique Ferguson, Ray Fankhauser, Jamillah Jean, Selwyn Joseph, Jean-Claude Kalubi, Sabine Monpierre, Salmata Ouedraogo, Lynda Rey, and Todd Smith — visit www.moishistoiredesnoirs.com/laureats  »

Now take a look at the eclectic program:

« The 2023 edition of Black History Month will feature sharing-driven moments to be experienced in the Bas-Saint-Laurent, the Outaouais, Gaspésie—and, of course, Montreal. Here’s a quick overview of some of the not-to-be-missed events:

La Flambeau
The world premiere of the chamber opera by Haitian-born Quebec composer David Bontemps, performed by a cast of distinguished Black opera singers, brought to life through dramatic staging and lighting.

Le mythe de la femme noire
The Quebec-wide theatrical release of this feature-length documentary, an investigation of the image that society has of Black women, produced by Bianca Bellange and Ayana O’Shun, and also directed by the latter.

De l'obscurité à la lumière : l'histoire méconnue des domestiques guadeloupéennes au Québec
Lecture by historian Monique Milia Marie-Luce on the little-known history of Guadeloupean domestic workers in Quebec.

The Kingdom Choir
This England-based choir, which performed at Harry and Meghan’s royal wedding, will take the stage at Place des Arts on Feb 19. / The first performance, to honour young people, will take place on February 1 in Quebec City. / In Rivière-du-Loup, visit the Papa Noël Sow shop to get into the festive spirit of Black History Month.

•Black History Month will take place all across Quebec from February 1 to 28, 2023.

To discover all of the scheduled activities, visit www.moishistoirdesnoirs.com »

Enjoy a few seconds of the Macella Skerritt performance that opened the press conference this past week.

LENA GHIO   

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WHEN YOU FINISH SAVING THE WORLD

  

TRAILER

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Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network, The Hummingbird Project) makes his directorial debut in this adaptation of his 2019 audiobook. We follow the evolving relationship between a mother, Evelyn played by Julianne Moore (Still Alice), and her son, Ziggy played by Finn Wolfhard (Stranger Things).

Evelyn works in a crisis centre and Ziggy is a social media rising musician. The conflict between generational values impacts the mother and son relationship as the mom is involved in social services and the son, being young and of the social media influencer generation is involved with himself and his followers. He is not interested in service to the community. 

I have met people like Evelyn in my life and because of my dysfunctional family, I did not like them. My point at the time, and the issue I have with this character, is that life is bigger than neat little boxes of conventions where everyone should fit neatly. Meaning well is not enough to help in certain circumstances, not that I know what would be a better attitude during a crisis. 

There are cringe worthy moments in this movie that often exposes the awkwardness of the two main protagonists. A very modern tale in the paradoxes of human relationships and family ties.

LENA GHIO   

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THE GRANDMASTER OF KUNG FU on Digital, Blu-ray™ & DVD January 31

Former World Wushu Champion Du Yuhang as martial art master  Huo   TRAILER

The action takes place during the end of the Qing dynasty in China. This ancient culture was facing major cultural invasions from the west and Japan in 1911-1912. Martial arts movie often feature a battle between two competing schools and practices of the combat forms. In this movie, the Japanese military is determined to overthrow existing forms and schools in China for their benefit. On this link you can see an intriguing history of the age old competitions between fighters and schools. 

What I loved about the movie is that it offers some, not as much as I love, some, of the philosophical insights that those of us who love martial arts delight in! For example, when I was a practitioner we had to learn how to bend time and space to achieve speed. Practicing led to very intriguing pragmatic applications of the principles, like not being late for work!

There are very good fight scenes but I would have loved more of them to show the fulness of the gestures instead of seemingly cropped views of a punch or a kick at the waist for example.

A movie that is a lot of fun with good fights!

Director/Producer: Cheng Si-Yu 

Writers: Tao Siwei, Cheng Si-Yu 

LENA GHIO   

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TWO EXTRAORDINARY NEW IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCES!

 

From the 3D immersive experience LASTING IMPRESSIONS where the paintings of Monet, Van Gogh, Renoir, Seurat, and Degas come to life.

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To open the cultural season in Montreal we are gifted with two exciting immersive  events that are totally different:

LASTING IMPRESSIONS

I am very excited by this luscious colourful composition filled with 3D renderings of the most voluptuous paintings of the Impressionists era in Paris. To add to the mystique, there is an introduction by Sophie Renoir, the great great grand-daughter of Auguste Renoir. 

The venue, Studio-Cabaret de l’Espace St-Denis, is elegant and sets up the experience you are about to have perfectly. You walk into an elegant and modern cabaret where you can enjoy a cocktail and a light snack as you will enjoy the overwhelming beauty of the presentation. Music fills the space and you will forget your daily struggles as your soul is uplifted by Piaf, Debussy, Ravel, songs interpreted by Nana Mouskouri, Charles Aznavour and Canadian tenor Adam Fisher that some consider to be the future Andrea Bocelli. 

The event is divided in two segments. In the first part, you will meet the artists whose works will be in 3D in the second part. I was delighted that three female impressionists were included in the show: Éva Gonzalès, Berthe Morisot, Marie Bracquemond. It is an otherworldly experience that takes us to an idealistic space and time.

The producer of this magical show is Ed Kasses.

The show is ongoing until March 12, 2023 INFO

transformé : un voyage immersif futuriste et inspiré de faits vécus

The key to remember in this immersive experience is that the videos used for the event come from works originally designed for a virtual reality headset. The intention is to provide a collective experience vs a solitary experience of the stories being shared on the large screens.

detail from Vestiges by Aaron Bradbury / Atlas V / Astrea

In this dazzling and deep immersive exhibition, divided in three huge galeries, we are immersed in the contemporary artistic language that addresses issues of our time in our edgy style. Death, mental illness, blindness, racism and more are all dealt with. The detail above is from Vestiges a woman recounts the time she spent with her dying partner. In Ferenj by Ainslee Alem Robson we hear a tale of racism. And take a look here at Conscious Existence by Marc Zimmermann. 

You will be moved by the stories. INFO

LENA GHIO   

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Emerge Art and POPE Francis

The Pope, Emerge Art™ January 12, 2023 / © LENA GHIO   

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Since 2013 I have been producing Emerge Art  which consists of photographing the ancient art of scrying with water. Although scrying has been discredited by science, I produce constant evidence that there is indeed something to this ancient art that was so commonly practiced that te religious leaders of the past condemned it as the work of the devil.

My success at scrying makes it one of the most important gifts I got from the Universe. As this new year began, I did several days of Emerge Art with this question to water:

Dearest Spirit,

Guide me on how to best use Emerge Art.

Thank You

Lena Ghio

One of the images that manifested reminds me so much of Pope Francis, it is the image attached here. 

The Pope, Emerge Art™ January 12, 2023 / © LENA GHIO   
detail

My interpretation of the manifestation of this particular subject concerns the power of prayer. Emerge Art is a simple example of the power of words and art and prayers. It is also a modest manifestation of what modern culture has dubbed The Force or magic because in Emerge Art we see light transforming into visual information. E = MC 2.

The Pope in this Emerge Art should inspire all people, regardless of their preferred religion, to pray in total faith, absolute trust that GOD will act and answer our prayers to bring Peace on Earth and heal our planet. THIS we can all do. Politics cannot move the Healing Force of God, our united prayers will. US, HUMANITY, can stand together before the great mystery and move it into a powerful HEALING.

Below, a few links about the words of Pope Francis and a definition of his role in the catholic church.

« In conclusion, the Pope underlined how the Word of God "transforms an ordinary day into the today in which God speaks to us," encouraging everyone to keep a Gospel within reach, and to calmly read and re-read a small passage every day.Jan 23, 2022 Pope at Angelus: Be transformed by the Word of God - Vatican (source)

What is the relationship between the pope and God?

The papacy is an additional source of authority for Catholics. While many Catholics often turn to the Bible for guidance, they are also able to turn to the teachings of the pope. The pope is important as he represents a direct line back to Jesus . In this sense, Catholics see Jesus as being present in the papacy.

The Pope and the role of the papacy - GCSE Religious Studies Revision (source) » 

LENA GHIO   

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WILDFIRE • Talisman Theatre • Théâtre LaChapelle 16.01 > 28.01.2023

 

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Inspired by classical Greece tragicomedies, this generational triptych takes us on a circular journey where a series of disconcerting events all tie up together at the end.

When we arrive, we sit in front of a set that consists of a flowery ottoman in the centre with a curtain of gold strands shimmering in the background. The first character to appear is Claudette played by Davide Chiazzese one of the best actors of the Montreal English theatre scene. Julie Tamiko Manning and Kathleen Stavert play the other two sisters with names derived from Claudette.

Dysfunctional intolerable situations are revealed in the uncomfortable first act that includes a lot of shouting. The triplets are voicing their gripes and their pains.

Although the script defies logic, we can still recognize patterns of behaviour that manifest in most families. I see the play as expressing the structural nature of human relationships versus the inner soulful contents of the characters minds. 

You can see this very modern play written by David Paquet and directed by Jon Lachlan Stewart until January 28, 2023.

Get details HERE

LENA GHIO   

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NEW TECHNOLOGIES AND CREATION IN MONTREAL

Carry me home, Image credits Les 7 Doigts 

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Carry me home 

This past December 15, 2022, I went to the introductory premiere of  Carry me home by a Les 7 Doigts featuring the music and songs of Didier Stowe. For a while now Alexandre Teodoresco, Director - Strategic development and innovation for Les 7 Doigts, has been working diligently to combine live performance with the METAVERSE. The idea is quite appealing as it aims to reunite families and friends from around the world to share in a live show together. 

The video linked to the title of the presentation we saw at the Montreal home of Les 7 Doigts, Carry me home, illustrates beautifully the two experimental experiences that were available to the public, the one in META where you are immersed in the virtual world where the characters live and the one where the artists perform live while they are tagged with motion capture detectors so their avatars will appear in META. I chose the perspective that is illustrated above, where the scenery is projected on the entire set. Whichever approach you chose, it allows you to experience the story told to us by Didier Stowe from his childhood to the present by the process of songs, music, acrobatics. 

I truly enjoy the process part of creating art. There were a few bugs, those that accompany even the finest tech arts, but the artists were full of heart and that was great. The real advantage from where I chose to experience the circus is the dazzling backgrounds that can be deployed rapidly and the sense of motion I experienced as the scenery took us through time and space.

Here are the artists who left us breathless:

ON STAGE
Voice, Piano, Guitar & Trampo-Wall Didier Lemire Stowe
Dance & Arial Ring Verónica Herrera
Dance & Hair-Hanging Alma Danira Quintanar Valenzuela
Dance & Acrobatics Geovany Mora Escalante
Hoop Diving & Dance Téo Le Baut

More details HERE

LAST MINUTE

Adrien M, Photo © Lena Ghio , 2022

Have you ever thought about what your last minute on Earth would be like? Or how does a baby being born experiences that transition into the real world? Adrien M and his partner Claire B decided to explore this universal mystery at a time when Claire B's father had died and soon after she brought a new baby into the world. Please visit this page to read the beautiful poetry that accompany this work.

I experienced the work from a yoga perspective. I lay on the floor in death pose and allowed myself to float into the immersive installation. It was quite relaxing. After the 30 minutes in the installation, we came out of the space and shared what we had experienced. There are some who have shared the experience with their family including their children. For those people, the experience was light and joyful. Those who had experienced a recent loss lived it differently but still with a reverence towards the abstract majesty life allows us.

This exhibition is ongoing until March 5 2023. Information about tickets HERE

Last Minute by Adrien M & Claire B

MUTATION BIAN 6

Arsenal Contemporary Art hosts the 6th International Digital Art Biennal (BIAN) organized by ELEKTRA until February 5th, 2023. First of all, Arsenal is such an immense space. As you walk towards BIAN you will see many extraordinary works of art. Just delightful!

The theme for this BIAN is METAMORPHOSIS - MUTATION and the process of bringing the exhibition together was impacted by the limitations of the pandemic. Alain Thibault and DooEun Choi curated the exhibition and chose 26 works by 27 artists to illustrate a serious reflexion on life as we move forward with the multiple challenges ahead including the climate crisis, political corruption and the injustice of extreme poverty. 

Above, a few seconds from Doku The Self (2022) by Lu Yang.

Some well established artists such as Wim Delvoye, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer and Michel de Broin have pieces in the show and some works are from younger still emerging artists like KONGO ASTRONAUTS a collective of artists working in Africa who totally captured my attention. 

Another piece that totally fascinated me is Cloud Face - Real Time (2015) by Shinseungback Kimyonghun from South Korea. The duo consisting of engineer Shin Seung Back and artist Kim Yong Hun use artificial intelligence to detect those moments when the clouds from faces, photograph these formation, then create mystical installations where these ethereal faces are looking back at us.

Lights, mechanics, digital art, video animation and so much more are used to stretch our perception and understanding of the world around us and extra-dimensions. It will just charm you. Creation is infinite.

For more INFORMATION

LENA GHIO   

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My first exchange with ChatGPT on OpenAI

 

Death Defier by Lena Ghio, 2018

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In March 2021, I was reading an article about the work of Kenneth Chau, Associate Professor Electrical at University of British Columbia and had a aha moment. Here is the paragraph that enlightened me:

" Momentum is defined as mass times velocity, so even though photons (particles of light) have zero rest mass, their velocity is enormous (literally the speed of light) and they’re never really at rest, so they have a tiny effective mass. (Light is both particle and wave.) That means they have a positive momentum, which can give a little kick to anything light crashes into. Plus, if you conceptualize light as a bunch of particles, it’s not crazy to imagine those things moving around matter as they bump into it. "

  https://www.discovermagazine.com/technology/experiment-reveals-how-light-shoves-matter-around

This made me consider how the Big Bang could have been the result of colliding light particles when they were shifted from wave to particle. Also, since light can be a wave or a particle, it must have a gravity field when in the particle state. I wrote the linked article to explore the possibility.

Here is what AI said about my idea:

ME-  Analyse this proposal: NOW let's review the Big Bang from the perspective that light has a  tiny effective mass. " Anything that has mass also has gravity. Objects with more mass have more gravity. " This means light particles possess quantum gravity and there would be no purpose to finding a graviton. If at the Big Bang enough light-as-particles decided to bump into each other until they exploded into creation and then divided and clumped into clans of atoms, molecules planets and life, we have the solution as to how a mass of indeterminate energy became endless galaxies, stars, dimensions. The rotating force is a feature of light and also a feature of how gravity holds systems together. If you add dark mass and dark energy to the solution, I like what scientists working on fiber optics say about light as they see it in wireless communications: " light goes a certain distance before it scatters and goes dark."  This makes me see dark energy/dark matter as wave/mass where there exists a frequency/wavelength that is dark energy = the E of E = MC 2 and dark matter = the MC 2 of E = MC 2,  both part of the duality of light.  

AI-    This proposal suggests that light particles have a small but non-zero mass and that this mass gives them quantum gravity, which could potentially explain the origins of the universe and the formation of galaxies, stars, and other celestial objects. The proposal also suggests that dark energy and dark matter may be related to the duality of light, with dark energy corresponding to the "E" (energy) part of the equation E=mc^2 and dark matter corresponding to the "mc^2" (mass) part of the equation.

It's important to note that this is a speculative proposal and is not a widely accepted theory. While it is true that light has a tiny effective mass and that objects with more mass have more gravity, there is currently no evidence to support the idea that light particles were responsible for the creation of the universe or that dark energy and dark matter are related to the duality of light. Further research and experimentation would be needed to determine the validity of these ideas.

https://thelenaghioparadox.blogspot.com/2021/03/emerge-art-is-missing-link-that.html

LENA GHIO   

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Jean-Michel Basquiat and more @ Montreal Museum of Fine Arts

One of the many spaces enlightened by the Spirit of Jean-Michel Basquiat. Photo © Lena Ghio , 2022

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SEEING LOUD: BASQUIAT AND MUSIC

I have had a long time fascination with the life and work of Jean-Michel Basquiat who followed a very unusual path for a contemporary multidisciplinary artist. His work was recognized very rapidly in the 1980's New York city art scene. He worked with Andy Warhol who was the dominating visual artist of that time but he was also collaborating on music videos, talk shows, performance art and more.  Then, as his star was rising to stupendous heights, he died at age 28.

Detail of a 1985 graphite study of Jazz Musicians
by Jean-Michel Basquiat 

He is most known for his colourful large scale paintings and drawings where he uses everything from his environment to create, to express, to make political and human statements. His work is highly influenced by the famous artists of the New York scene at the time. In my opinion, I see a strong De Kooning influence. I attached a detail of one of his graphite drawings on the left that illustrates his capacity to draw in very traditional ways even though his work transcends the status quo. 

The exhibition; curated by Mary-Dailey Desmarais, Chief Curator of the MMFA, Dieter Buchhart, guest curator with a deep expertise on Jean-Michel Basquiat and Vincent Bessières, guest curator for the Musée de la Musique - Philharmonie de Paris; begins by recreating the New York scene into which Basquiat made his mark. There are plenty of photographs of artists and other patrons in famous clubs, album covers, magazine covers, performance videos. It is detailed and fascinating. Finally, you arrive in the large space where you can spend time with the huge colourful signature paintings that made him a star!

I enjoyed that the paintings are widely spaced so you can move back and forth appreciating the workmanship on the one hand and the luscious colours as you move back.

I end this portion of my article with this short video that represents the end of this artist's creation. The piece was produced in the last weeks of life and is accompanied by beautiful music. There is a long sofa positioned in front of the work to allow you to soak it all in.

Exhibition and activities attached to it are ongoing until February 19, 2023. INFO HERE

ᑐᓴᕐᓂᑐᑦ   TUSARNITUT!

Music Born of the Cold

INFO HERE

This exhibition explores the role of music in Inuit art. There are around 100 artworks from renowned artists such as Karoo Ashevak, Kenojuak Ashevak, Pitseolak Ashoona, Mattiusi Iyaituk, David Ruben Piqtoukun, Annie Pootoogook, Kananginak Pootoogook, Jessie Oonark and Niap (Nancy Saunders).  The works were provided by many private collectors and institutions. There is an indescribable magic emanating from the forms and sounds of this beautiful exhibitions. 

The exhibition is curated by Jean-Jacques Nattiez, ethnomusicologist and Professor Emeritus at Université de Montréal, and Lisa Qiluqqi Koperqualuk, Curator and Mediator of Inuit Art, MMFA, in collaboration with Charissa von Harringa, Curatorial Associate, MMFA.

The exhibition is ongoing until March 12, 2023. INFO HERE

L'horrible chat des neiges , 1969, by

Albert Dumouchel (1916-1971) print on wire 

wood gifted by Madeleine Morin

photo © Annie Fafard

REVELATIONS prints by Albert Dumouchel

This exhibition was indeed a revelation. Albert Dumouchel was a Montreal artist that was very influential in his time. Alas, it is taking such a long time for Montreal artists to be recognized that I had never heard of this excellent print maker until this exhibition.

His work reflects the spirit and explorations of his time which consisted of the first three quarters of the twentieth century. Visual artists were experiencing the impact of evolving technologies, the proliferation of abstract art, multidisciplinary art and a liberation of the subjects to be explored by art. 

The artist even went as fart as to produce prints of a pornographic nature. Again, this reflects his time as nudity and sex scenes were becoming accepted in the movies.

An exhibition organized by the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts and curated by Peggy Davis, Professor of Art History at UQAM, and Anne Grace, Curator of Modern Art, MMFA

The exhibition is ongoing until March 26, 2023 INFO HERE

I hope you will take advantage of these lovely exhibitions.

LENA GHIO   

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