This weekend’s highlights include an avant garde dance performance in Taipei, a new exhibit at the Gagosian Gallery in New York, and a much-anticipated re-release of one of Bertolucci’s classic films.
1. DANCE: TAIPEI
—YogeeTi
Franco-Taiwanese production YogeeTi is all about crossovers, looking at the dialogue between knitwear and dance. Making its world debut at Taiwan’s National Theater this weekend, the performance showcases the collaborations of French choreographer Mourad Merzouki, Taiwanese fashion designer Johan Ku and a young cast of dancers from Taiwan and France. National Theater and Concert Hall, 10048 Chung-Shan South Road, Taipei. Showing Friday and Saturday at 19.30 and Sunday at 14.30. Until 4 March. tifa.ntch.edu.tw/program_12_en
2. EXHIBITION: NEW YORK
—Georg Baselitz at Gagosian Gallery
This week marked the opening of an exhibition featuring new works by the German artist Georg Baselitz at Chelsea, New York’s Gagosian Gallery. Baselitz’s new paintings, larger than any he has made previously, revisit the style of his well-known 1960s “fracture” paintings characterized by brutish, rural motifs. Among the show’s highlights is Beginning, made up of abstract human figures scattered with bright colours and set against a black and white background, celebrating what is surely one of the most high profile openings of Baselitz’s career. Gagosian Gallery, 522 West 21st Street. Open Monday–Saturday, 10.00 –18.00. Until 7 April. gagosian.com
3. FILM: TOKYO
—Simon Starling: Project for a Masquerade (Hiroshima)
British artist Simon Starling is best known for his art installations and photography and won the prestigious Turner Prize in 2005. He has now produced a 25-minute documentary Project for a Masquerade (Hiroshima) that is showing at the CNAC Lab in Tokyo. The short film attempts to draw a connection between Japanese Noh theatre and Henry Moore’s bronze sculpture Atom Piece (Model for Nuclear Energy), touching on politics, nuclear weapons and art during the Cold War.
CNAC Lab, 1F Costume National Aoyama Complex, 5-4-30, Minamiaoyama, Minato-Ku, Tokyo. Open daily: 11.30 – 19.00. Until 11 Maycnac.jp/en
4. FILM: GLOBAL
—Bernardo Bertolucci: The Conformist
Shot in 1970, Bertolucci’s seminal adaptation of Alberto Moravia’s novel is now being re-released on DVD. This cinematic and psychological exploration of the relationship between fascist Italy’s middle classes and the Italian political police during Mussolini’s reign was critically acclaimed on the festival circuit at the time. The new edition boasts an array of extra footage and interviews sure to delight Bertolucci’s biggest admirers and attract new fans to his work.
The Conformist is available now
5. MUSIC: EUROPE
—Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings
Good things come to those who wait, and Georgia-born soul singer Sharon Jones didn’t find success until middle age when a lifetime of experience meant her cracked, soulful delivery woke up fans to what they’d been missing. With her band the Dap Kings, she’s widely regarded as one of the best live shows you could catch. Fans in Europe can do just that, as Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings touch down in Bristol O2 Academy in the UK on Saturday, continuing on to Leeds, Glasgow, Nottingham, Birmingham, London and Brighton. Jones will then hit Paris and Madrid. Don’t wait around for this one.
Sharon Jones and her band are on tour until 13 March
sharonjonesandthedapkings.com
