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Last posts

Sukran Moral. Amenus Interruptus: Controversy in the Casa Dell’ Arte

Mónica Boixeda Istanbulite, Only-Be

Adopting the perspective of a foreigner has always been a literary technique for revealing the absurdity of all those daily habits and customs that we carry out mindlessly, because we are so used to them. Journeys into the imaginary world help us to gain the perspective needed for acquiring a new view – one which is capable of opening new panoramas, and types of reality – whilst also serving as a form of criticism of the stupidity or unfairness of much of our fundamental and ingrained social behaviour. One mustn’t underestimate the value of stories such as Gulliver’s Travels or Brodie’s Report; those books which are considered anthropology just as much as they are science and art. Sometimes we might wonder, in these staid times, where there seems to be an alarming, puritan attachment to censorship, what a hypothetical alien would make of a society that regulates behaviour almost constantly, sending messages of incivility, aggression, brutality, despotism, subordination, sexism and war (often to the point of exaltation) – whilst indignantly prohibiting (not to mention the chauvinistic practises of the commercial world of the subordination and restriction of workers) for example, the most basic expression of sexuality. Following perhaps this same “logic;” in London it was ordered that the genitals of a nude by Lucas Cranach be covered up in an exhibition of the German renaissance painter – and on Facebook, the public campaign of a Scissor Sisters CD was banned, because its cover reproduced a beautiful photograph in black and white taken by Robert Mapplethorpe where you could see the bottom (covered by tights, of course) of ballerina Peter... read more

Jodorowsky in Barcelona: Dreams and fantasy

Mónica Boixeda Barcelonian, Only-Be, Things to do in Barcelona

From 23rd February to 2nd March, the Caixa Forum will be holding a series of conferences themed around dreams, and the fascination that this biological activity has long held for the science world, led by writer, director, playwright and tarot expert, Alejandro Jodorowsky – a man well-known in the world of dream interpretation. We spend a large part of our lives dreaming – and not just during sleep, but also day-dreaming, which allows us to escape reality, and transport us to a fantasy world free of problems. Which is why the function of dreams and fantasy are crucial for healthy mental development, and a generally balanced body and mind. If we consider the fact that we live in a virtual society, where communication and social life have stopped being physical, with fantasies created about people we know via social networking sites – we realise that fantasy is something we encounter on a daily basis, particularly during our dreams, where the two often merge. This is why the study of dreams and their contents is an enormous point of interest in today´s society, just as it was for Swiss clinical psychiatrist and essayist Carl Gustav Jung, who collaborated with Sigmund Freud, dedicating himself to dream analysis. Jung discovered a key part of the subconscious mind which is shared by all human beings, which transcends all kinds of geographic or racial origin. It is characterized by archetypes, instinctive behavioural and perceptive patterns found in the dreams of all cultures, throughout the history of mankind. Jung studied the hallucinations of the mentally ill, finding that they all shared key characteristics throughout the world, which implied that the human... read more

Kutlug Ataman in Istanbul

Mónica Boixeda Istanbulite, Only-Be

The Istanbul Modern (the Museum of Modern Art in Istanbul) is holding an exhibition of the work of artist Kutlug Ataman, which opens on 3rd December. In the Turkish artist’s first retrospective, the Istanbul Modern will be showing a range of his work, which includes video-art and installation. Since participating in the 1997 Istanbul Biennale, Ataman has undoubtedly become one of Turkey’s best known contemporary artists. His work has been shown in prestigious art spaces all around the world. Ataman has given a voice to those marginalised by society, providing us with a careful, sensitive insight into their world which is never exploitative. What stands out the most in Ataman’s work is the way that it succeeds in blurring the lines between reality and fiction, defying any sort of categorisation. As the artist interviews people living on the margin of society, and its fixed identities, he illustrates how history and fact are adapted and moulded by personal narrative, and do not necessarily always reflect an objective reality. Such an artifice demonstrates how our identities are often based on fictitious parameters; and how we construct our self from the imagination. Exhibiting at the Istanbul Modern until 6th March 2011, and including works such as “Women Who Wear Wigs,” (1999), “Never My Soul” (2001), “Testitmony” (2002) and 2010’s “Beggars,” “The Enemy Inside Me” is a collection of Ataman’s most compelling works. For more information: http://www.istanbulmodern.org/en/f_index.html Heloise Battista Alquila apartments in Istanbul y conoce el interesantísimo trabajo de uno de los artistas turcos más conocidos de la actualidad. Translated... read more