ART: HONG KONG
Lee Bul
Distinguished Korean artist Lee Bul’s works are on display to inaugurate New York gallery Lehmann Maupin’s first international outpost in Hong Kong. Having risen to international fame in the 1990s for her use of strikingly diverse materials and futuristic installations, Bul is one of the most forward-thinking Asian artists of her generation. Set within the walls of the 90-year-old Pedder Building, an oddity among the glass skyscrapers of Hong Kong’s financial district, the space will be hosting her ink and acrylic paintings along with twisted metal sculptural works that hang from the ceiling.
Lehmann Maupin Gallery, 407 Pedder Building, 12 Pedder Street, Central. Open Tuesday to Friday 10.00-18.00, Saturdays 10.00-19.00. Until 11 May.
PHOTOGRAPHY: VANCOUVER
Patrick Faigenbaum
Paris-born Faigenbaum made his name with large-scale portraits imbued with stillness and serenity. His background as a painter comes through in his compositions, especially through the use of light and colour. His figures are frozen in time in rooms that often reflect perhaps an only-just-bygone era, while his images of rural landscapes and urban settings mirror social change. The first major showing of his photography in Canada, the exhibition features over 75 photographs dating from the 1970s to the present day.
Vancouver Art Gallery, 750 Hornby Street. Open daily 10.00-17.00, Tuesdays 10.00-21.00. Until 2 June.
vanartgallery.bc.ca
ART: LONDON
George Bellows: Modern American Life
Considered one of the US’s greatest artists, Bellows depicted the grittier side of New York in the opening years of the 20th century. From dock workers to boxers, Bellows’ work portrays the working-class people and neighbourhoods of the city, with both the hardships and pleasures to be found there. A series of snow scenes beautifully contrast the whites and blues of winter with the dirt and grime of urban landscapes. It's the first UK retrospective to cover Bellows (1882-1925) short career. Although best-known for his paintings of amateur boxing matches, all his work packs a punch.
Royal Academy of Arts, Burlington House. Open daily 10.00-18.00, Fridays 10.00-22.00. Until 9 June.
royalacademy.org.uk
DANCE: NEW YORK
The White Piece
Following a successful run in Ireland, choreographer John Scott’s The White Piece premieres in New York this week. The 55-minute show explores issues ranging from political asylum to racism, survival and love. Featuring a cast of 14 dancers from backgrounds as diverse as the Merce Cunningham dance company to torture victims from Africa. Brought to New York by the Irish Modern Dance Theatre company, The White Piece runs for two weeks in downtown Manhattan at La Mama’s Ellen Stewart Theatre.
LA Mama’s Ellen Stewart Theatre, 66 East 4th Street
(near Bowery) on the second floor. Until 24 March.
lamama.org
MUSIC GLOBAL:
Brandt Brauer Frick: Miami
The Berlin neo-classical-art-techno-virtuoso trio (nice easy pigeonhole there) Brandt Brauer Frick have been making dance music the hard way – with all “real” instruments – since 2008. On their third album Miami, they have eased up on the strict regime that saw them bringing a 10-piece orchestra to previous shows. Miami incorporates a few pieces of technology here and there but also opens up the sound with top collaborators such as Jamie Lidell and LA producer Om'Mas Keith. The result is dark, pounding, moody dance music with funky and ambient segments coiled around some fiercely intelligent techno – if we can still call it that.
Miami is available to buy now.
brandtbrauerfrick.de
