Art Attack: Shteyngart Wheezes, Kurt Cobain Lives and Budding Filmmakers Ask Elders to Relive Horrors of the Past
You should all be drunk on sunshine by now instead of sitting in front of your computer screens. But if you’re looking for things to do this weekend, that’s fair enough. We’re in a quiet before the storm as we all await Caochangdi PhotoSpring and other new exhibits near May Festival. But, between a documentary series at UCCA’s art cinema and a new debut at BC MOMA that channels Kurt Cobain, you’ve got some sound options.
For a tidbit, we all know Gary Shteyngart was in town a few weeks ago for the Bookworm International Literary Festival. Following last year’s comments from David Sedaris, aren’t we all curious to see how other authors sum up their time here? In this Foreign Policy interview, Shteyngart complains that he still has gunk in his lungs and pokes fun at expats.
At BC MOMA tonight, New Pants lead singer Peng Lei will take questions after a screening of his film. Follow Follow is a collection of shorts about youngsters on China’s underground rock scene, guided by the spirit of the tragic lead singer of Nirvana. Check out the trailer:
Opera-heads have a few more days to catch Beijing’s premiere of a Wagner opera. The Flying Dutchman opened on Tuesday and plays through the weekend. Make sure to check out our feature, with comments from the cast and director about this risky undertaking.
Also this weekend, a peek at the Folk Memory Project, courtesy of the folks at Caochangdi Workstation. I interned with filmmaker Wu Wenguang when I first arrived in Beijing and am always pleased to hear about their continued efforts to dig up and document some of the events of the last few decades that are privy to social amnesia.
We won’t get into that here, but if you’re curious what elderly folks have to say about the Great Famine of 1959-1961, check out the screenings at UCCA this weekend. Friends who've taken part in the project tell me it's not easy convincing the weary old comrades to tell these tales, but when they do open up, it's fascinating. Our recommendations: Self Portrait: At 47 KM (which has been selected for the Cinema du Reel festival in Paris) and My Grandpa's Winter (which takes on the festival circuit at the Tampere Short Film Festival in Finland).
For details about these events and more, see below.
LAST CALL!
Until Apr 8
Inside a Book a House of Gold: Artists’ Editions with Parkett
The world’s most renowned art journal set up house across three rooms of the UCCA, displaying works by Damien Hirst, Urs Fischer and others. This is your last chance to catch the colorful and sprawling show. RMB 15. UCCA (8459 9269)
EVENTS THIS WEEK (APR 6-12):
Apr 6
Film: Follow Follow
Chinese youth take a rock & roll journey spurred on by the spirit of Kurt Cobain. Followed by director Q&A (Apr 6 & 14 only). RMB 40, RMB 30 (students and seniors), RMB 25 (members). 4pm. BC MOMA (8438 8258)
Apr 6-8
Opera: The Flying Dutchman
A tale of ghostly sea-born love. The much-anticipated spectacle opens the NCPA’s 2012 Opera Festival (see Feature, p56). RMB 160-680. 7.30pm. NCPA Opera House (6655 0000)
Apr 7-8
Documentaries: Knocking on Memory’s Door with a Video Camera
Seminal indie filmmaker Wu Wenguang screens documentaries from his Folk Memory Project, in which mostly post-‘80s students return to their ancestral villages to ask their grandparents about the controversial Great Famine of 1959-1961. RMB 15, RMB 10 (students with valid ID), free (UCCA members). For detailed screening schedule, click here. Q+A to follow each screening. UCCA (8459 9269)
Photo: Courtesy of BC MOMA
