ILLUSTRATION: PARIS
1001 nuits + 1 jour
Michèle Didier gallery in Paris is presenting a collection of illustrations from Budapest-born architect and urban planner Yona Friedman’s latest book, 1001 Nuits + 1 Jour. The drawings, which used to plaster the walls of 91-year-old Friedman’s first Parisian studio, depict a diverse range of fantastical lands and scenes such as the city of Atlantis and Saint George confronting a crocodile instead of a dragon – a gateway to imaginary worlds beyond Friedman’s tiny workspace. While some of the colours have faded over time, Friedman’s vivid imagination jumps off the pages for all to see.
Mfc-Michèle Didier Gallery, 66 Rue Notre-Dame de Nazareth. Open Tuesday to Saturday, 12.00-19.00. Until 9 August.
micheledidier.com
FILM FESTIVAL: UK
UK Green Film Festival
This weekend cities from London to Glasgow in the UK are seeing out the 2014 edition of the UK Green Film Festival – a showcase of environmentally themed films. This year’s offerings include Bay of All Saints by Denver-based filmmaker Annie Eastman. It documents the struggle of residents of Brazil’s Bay of All Saints who live in shacks built on stilts over the sea, and whose homes are threatened by the government’s ecological conservation plans. Hackney Picturehouse is closing the festival on Sunday with Danish director Daniel Dencik’s Expedition to the End of the World, a documentary following scientists, creatives and philosophers as they sail into the waters of the Arctic Ocean.
At cinemas across the UK, see website for details. Until 8 June.
ukgreenfilmfestival.org
ART FAIR: YOGYAKARTA
ART|JOG
This weekend marks the opening of the ART|JOG art fair at Taman Budaya Yogyakarta culture centre in the Indonesian city of Yogyakarta. This year’s theme is “Legacies of Power: (Re-)Defining Democracy in Indonesia”. The three-week fair features 103 local and international artists focusing on democracy in Indonesia while revisiting the history of power struggles in the country. Indonesian artist Maryanto Beb will present a work entitled “Food Sovereignty”, which explores the country’s potential for better food security. Samsul Arifin’s centre-piece installation of rag doll figures is an interpretation of Indonesia’s power structure.
ART|JOG 2014, Taman Budaya Yogyakarta, Jalan Sri Wedani No. 1, Yogyakarta. Open daily 09.00-21.00. Until 22 June.
artfairjogja.com
PAINTING: LE HAVRE
Nicolas de Staël: Lumières du Nord, Lumières du Sud
To celebrate the centenary of the birth of French painter Nicolas de Staël (1914-1955), the Musée d’art Moderne André Malraux (or MuMa) is hosting a special exhibition dedicated to his landscapes entitled Lumiиres du Nord, Lumiиres du Sud. Many of Staël’s vibrant scenes were inspired by the Norman coastline, which makes MuMa in Le Havre the ideal location for the show. Visitors can enjoy Staël’s abstract impasto brushstrokes depicting ships, hills and beaches in the airy gallery overlooking the same sea he took his inspiration from.
Musée d’art Moderne André Malraux, 2 Boulevard Clemenceau. Open Monday to Friday, 11.00-18.00 and Saturday to Sunday 11.00-19.00, closed on Tuesday. Until 9 November.
muma-lehavre.fr
MUSIC: GLOBAL
Taylor McFerrin: Early Riser
There’s a satisfyingly sedate and assured balance to the songs on Early Riser – the debut of Brooklyn-based producer, beat-maker and occasional singer Taylor McFerrin. McFerrin interprets the best of 1970s chilled out funk, soul and jazz, and churns them through the skewed, spacey, cosmic pop blender that is seemingly obligatory for any release on LA’s Brainfeeder Records (home to its founder Flying Lotus and Thundercat, among others). Well-meaning experimentation can sometimes derail the most sublime records but McFerrin steers the beat with a steadier hand than most, giving Early Riser a refreshingly sophisticated air. But if it’s all a bit too chilled out, maybe give McFerrin Senior’s (that’ll be Bobby “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” McFerrin, then) tunes a spin instead.
‘Early Riser’ is availavle to buy now.
brainfeeder.net