At least that’s what they’ve been doing at the International Theater Exposition of São Paulo, which is “squaring up to an era of right-wing populism with a celebration of otherness, difference and resistance. More often than not, this resistance manifests itself in the naked body. In show after show, nudity takes on a political role.” – The Guardian
Author: Matthew Westphal
Richest Man In Hong Kong Spent Nearly $400M To Build City’s First Museum Of Buddhist Art
Li Ka-shing, 90, renovated an old hilltop monastery to house the collection of 100 devotional sculptures and 43 handwritten scriptures. While construction was completed in 2015, the museum’s inauguration was held on March 27, and it will begin welcoming the public free of charge on May 1. – Artnet
Short Story Vending Machines Arrive In London
The French company Short Edition has already placed machines that will print out a free short story on request at various locations around France and the U.S. Now three of the devices are being installed at Canary Wharf to serve commuters there. – The Guardian
Constantine Orbelian Fired As General Director Of Armenia’s National Opera House
The Armenian-American maestro, a three-time Grammy nominee (he conducted Dmitri Hvorostovsky’s final album, Russia Cast Adrift), was named artistic director of the theater in Yerevan in 2016 and was given the additional job of general director the following year. The new culture minister dismissed him from the latter post, saying that it is against Armenian law for one person to hold both titles. Musicians and staff, who say Orbelian has raised standards there, are protesting. – Panaorama (Armenia)
Paying attention
The New York Times apparently wants us all to be more productive, since it’s hammering away at the subject from many fronts. – Andrew Taylor
No worries
Yes, my recent car crash scared me terribly, and yes, I know how very lucky I was to escape without a scratch. Even so, that seems to have been the end of it. I haven’t had any flashbacks, or any bad dreams about car crashes. Unnerving though the immediate experience was, it appears to have passed through me without leaving a trace. – Terry Teachout
David Friesen, Bassist And Pianist
David Friesen, My Faith, My Life (Origin)
Friesen’s virtuosity brought him to prominence as a bassist nearly fifty years ago. This two-CD album presents him on the first disc playing his compositions on the Homage bass, an instrument he developed. – Doug Ramsey
Did Hilma Af Klint Invent Abstract Art? Not Really
Susan Tallman: “The claim for af Klint as an inventor of abstract art runs into two serious problems. The first is that it doesn’t seem to match how she thought the work should function. The second is that abstraction was ‘invented’ in the same sense that the Western Hemisphere was ‘discovered.'” – The New York Review of Books
Choreographer Ann Carlson Makes Her First ‘Dancey-Dance’ In Ages
“Ann Carlson is not the type of a choreographer who makes what are known as dancey-dances. Steps aren’t really her thing. She works with everyday movement, text and props. She has choreographed works for lawyers, fly fisherman, basketball players and even … a flock of sheep. … With Elizabeth, the Dance, created for the Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company in Salt Lake City, she’s not only working with trained dancers, but she’s also examining the art form itself.” – The New York Times
Can We At Least Try To Make Ballet As Diverse As Contemporary Art?
Peter Boal of Pacific Northwest Ballet writes about his January trip around the US to audition dancers — and about how what he saw in the museums and galleries he visited made him think about the still-off racial balance of his and other ballet companies. – Dance Magazine