Art Attack: Food & Film Postponed, Hunger Games and Last Calls
We already let you know last week that the 48 Hour Film Project, the annual short film competition that’s been running in Beijing for three years now, will not be taking place this weekend as planned. Also not taking place: the Food, Film & Friends cooking/film screening event at The Hutong. Also, Hunger Games is finally set to hit theaters, and several art exhibits are closing up shop. Read on for details.
Food, Film & Friends will be happening next Sunday, May 27, instead of this weekend as was listed in our May issue of the magazine. If you were hoping to catch some Spanish cooking and Penelope Cruz in Almodovar’s Volver, you’ll have to wait one more week.
Another reminder that the 48 Hour Film Project will not be kicking off tonight after all, so please don’t show up at Worker’s Gymnasium ready to make a film.
The Hunger Games is finally set to open in China. It popped up on theaters’ websites this week with a June 14 release date. We’re not ashamed to say we recently lost some sleep reading through Suzanne Collins’ young adult series, and are excited to see how it translates on the big screen. We’re also curious how audiences here will interact with the material …
The current UCCA exhibits are closing up shop in the next week as they make room for new exhibits in June, so be sure to get there if you’ve been meaning to catch Jennifer Wen Ma’s lovely Hanging Gardens, or the comprehensive Gu Dexin exhibit.
If you were hoping to catch Janek Zdarzki’s photojournalistic exhibit about Beijing, today’s your last chance.
And of course, as always, tons more to do this week below, including a screening of The Artist on The Bookworm’s rooftop and a new performance series at the BC MOMA featuring Indian jazz singer Rani Geroult this Saturday.
And of course, there's also our Reader Bar & Club Awards. Take a break from your high-minded pursuits and come grab a drink. Just don't forget to bring your passports.
Enjoy!
POSTPONED:
May 18-20
48 Hour Film Project
Organizers tell us this filmmaking competition will take place in October instead. RMB 500. 6pm. Meet at Creative Clusters (north gate of Worker’s Gymnasium)
May 20
Food, Film & Friends: Spain
There won’t be paella or Penelope if you go to The Hutong this Sunday. Go instead on May 27 (see below). RMB 240, RMB 200 (members), RMB 30 (screening only). 5pm (cooking), 7.30pm (screening). The Hutong (159 0104 6127)
UPCOMING EVENTS:
May 19
C!Talk: You and Me
A new bi-monthly cross-cultural performance series kicks off this May with some tango, Beijing Improv and Indian jazz singer Rani Geroult. See www.ctalk-beijing.com for more info. RMB 30. 4-5.30pm. BC MOMA (8438 8258)
May 23
Film: The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
A school-themed classic starring the delightful Maggie Smith. RMB 40 (includes coffee or tea). 7.30pm. Riverbank Bar and Café (6506 8277)
May 24:
Summer Cinema Series: The Artist
Electric Shadows kicks off their rooftop movie series with this year’s Oscar winner. Free. 7.30pm. The Bookworm (6586 9507)
May 25-26
Dance: Burn the Floor
This British ballroom group sizzles in skimpy outfits, bare chests and risqué moves. RMB 180-680. 7.30pm. Beijing Exhibition Theater (6835 4455)
May 26
Bookworm Book Sale
The dog-eared copy of Twilight can be yours, for as little as RMB 10. Other genres available, too. Free. The Bookworm (6586 9507)
Frankfurt Radio Bigband
The celebrated German jazz ensemble take on the swingin’ sounds of Duke Ellington. RMB 180-680. 7.30pm. NCPA (6655 0000)
May 27
Food, Film & Friends: Spain
Will there be paella? Or will you have to settle for the lovely Penelope Cruz in Pedro Almodóvar’s Volver? RMB 240, RMB 200 (members), RMB 30 (screening only). 5pm (cooking), 7.30pm (screening). The Hutong (159 0104 6127)
LAST CALLS:
Illusive Moments
May 5-May 18. Janek Zdzarski has been capturing this city in black-and-white through all its changes. View her videos and time-lapse photography as part of this year’s Caochangdi PhotoSpring. Free. Chaoyang Culture Center (8599 6011)
Guest: Standing on the Shoulders of Little Clowns
Until May 27. Curated by well-established art co-op MadeIn Company, this show by artist group Guest is an installation in the form of an interactive circus. Could an art exhibit be any more fun? RMB 15. UCCA (5780 0200)
Jennifer Wen Ma: Hanging Garden in Ink
Until May 27. A lush canopy of live plants with their leaves painted in traditional Chinese ink makes you feel you’ve walked onto a scroll. RMB 15. UCCA (5780 0200)
Gu Dexin: The Important Thing Is Not the Meat
Until May 27. Rotting fruit, a sea of plastic and fantastic paintings make up this retrospective
of one of China’s most important avant-garde artists (see Feature, p48). RMB 15, free (students with ID, members). UCCA (8459 9269)
FRAC Collection: 30th Anniversary
Until May 31. France’s Regional Fund for Contemporary Art celebrates 30 years of crucial art funding with a special exhibit of rare photos and videos from its collection. Part of Caochangdi PhotoSpring. Free. China Art Archives and Warehouse (8456 5152)
Jean-Christian Bourcart: Camden
Until May 31. A closer look at Camden, New Jersey – the most dangerous city in America. Part of Caochangdi PhotoSpring. Free. C-Space (5127 3248)
Stefen Chow and Lin Hui-Yi: The Poverty Line
Until May 31. Photographs of what a day’s wages can buy in different parts of the world in an exploration of global poverty. Part of Caochangdi PhotoSpring. Free. Three Shadows Photography Art Centre (6432 2663)
MORE ART EXHIBITS:
Le Chambre Claire
Until Jun 2. Five Chinese artists explore the role photography plays in art with new experimental works and installations. Free. Taikang Space (5127 3173)
Chen Ke’s Red Road
Until Jun 3. The painter known for her “cute” aesthetic grows up with this first solo show. Free. Red Gate Gallery (6525 1005)
Beyond Words: Photography from the New Yorker
Until Jun 10. Images from 1890-2010 that have decorated the pages of one of the world’s most-read magazines. Part of Caochangdi PhotoSpring. RMB 15. UCCA (8459 9269)
Bring Me the Head Of …
May 12-Jun 12. Artist Serkan Ozkaya has created a pate shaped like a little bear’s head. You order it off Capital M’s menu, then consume the “artwork” you’ve just purchased. Available at lunch and dinner only. Capital M (6702 2727; see Dining directory)
Transcendence: The 2012 Three Shadows Photography Award
Until Jun 15. Hundreds of young photographers submitted nearly 10,000 works. See the finalists in this exhibit. Part of Caochangdi PhotoSpring. Free. Three Shadows Photography Art Centre (6432 2663)
Luo Mingjun: Dust
Until Jul 3. Earthy yet ethereal new works from the woman who’s brought you huge paper boats and text printed on shot glasses. Free. Pekin Fine Arts (5127 3220)
I See China
Until Jul 3. Colin Chinnery, Zhao Liang, Wang Chuan and a host of others join in for Caochangdi PhotoSpring. Free. Pekin Fine Arts (5127 3220)
