The National Theatre brings another Greek tragedy to the stage at the Abbey, following the acclaimed production of ‘Medea’ starring Fiona Shaw. Euripides’ ‘Iphigenia at Aulis’ is a powerful examination of nationalism and the price of war, told through the eyes of one family and their eldest daughter, Iphigenia. This contemporary production will be directed by Katie Mitchell, whose work includes ‘The Phoenician Women’ for the Royal Shakespeare Company and the critically acclaimed production of ‘The Oresteia’ at the Royal National Theatre in London.
Monthly Archives: February 2010
Anna Gaskell Installation
New Langton Arts presents its specially commissioned film-to-DVD installation by the artist Anna Gaskell. Presented alongside 30 of Gaskell’s ethereal pen and ink drawings, the installation creates a world where ‘the past happens in the future so you can be prepared’. Known for her disturbingly intimate fairytale photographs of adolescent girls, Gaskell’s work offers new perspectives on notions of memory and identity. The installation reveals a grave being dug from the inside, depicting the ritual of burial in reverse. The pen and ink drawings engage similar themes of time and recollection.
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Congolese Painting 1990-2000
With the recent assassination of Laurent Kabila, the Democratic Republic of Congo is once more in the news. This exhibition of recent Congolese painting includes references to the political upheaval, brutal civil war and the colonial past of the Congo. The paintings by self-taught artists from the country’s three principal towns – Kinshasa, Lubumbashi and Bunia – are inspired by social problems such as health, shortages and violence as well as spiritual and religious themes. Artist Vincent Nkulu will be working inside the museum and visitors can also order portraits in Congolese style and buy original works displayed in a separate gallery.
Marry Me!
Now that the autumn cultural season is well and truly under way, the English-language theatre supply is back on ‘full’ with this latest production from regular supplier the On Stage theatre company. Writer-actor-director Nicholas Calderbank presents his romantic two-hander which sees an English teacher (Calderbank) newly arrived in Paris falling in love with one of his French pupils.
Ten Benson + Stupid Acting Smart
Ten Benson probably have a few AC/DC records in their collection but their indie rock has a bit of a glam stomp to it too. For some reason they all see fit to model their look on what all the best-dressed US gas station attendants are wearing this season.
Museum of East Asian Art
One of a cluster of cultural institutions in the leafy district of Dahlem, Das Museum für Ostasiatische Kunst houses one of the finest collections of East Asian art in the world. Extra space created by recent renovation work has allowed the curators to devote two whole rooms to ceramics from Korea and Vietnam, and several more to Chinese and Japanese painting from the last three centuries. The Soviet army seized more than 90 per cent of the original collection at the end of WW2 and most of the items currently on display have been acquired over the last 50 years.
