Le livre des séparations

This weekend has been rich in events and discoveries.Two very different exhibitions allowed me behind the curtains of two very different worlds.

Friday evening I am heading to Lausanne to see a vernissage of André Kasper - a painter from Geneva – in the Galerie de L’Univers. It's crowded, the public is very sophisticated and well to-do.  Kasper's recent paintings, full of soft warm light, produce a familiar smell of oil paint, which made me nostalgic and a little bit sad.

André Kasper

On the ground floor of the Gallerie de l’Univers is a bookshop with art-, antique- and secondhand books. My eye falls onto a small blue brochure, I pick it up: “Le livre des séparations” by Anne Bregani.

…

Elle dit:

je ne vois personne

je ne peux pas

regarder les gens

qui sonne à ma porte trouve les lieux désertés

je suis cachée dans la rue  

je veux tout quitter

Je dis :

il y a bien des manieres

de tout quitter

par exemple

partir en Australie

Est-ce qu’elle rit ?

Elle dit :

j’ai arraché mon cœur

de ma poitrine

mon intérieur est sans soleil

mon cœur qui n’existe pas

je l’ai pris

je l’ai broyé

je n’ai jamais eu de cœur…

The rattle of passing trams, the noise from a kebab stand, people trotting by – all fade away for a moment... I pay four francs and I rush out, into another day, into another world...

Australia sounds like a reasonable destination. 

But it's a rainy Saturday in Zurich instead. As usual, dressed a little too light for the occasion I admire a little boy, courageously exploring local puddles.  

Another vernissage. This time by Maria Pomiansky, a Russian Jewish painter whom I've met accidentally a few months ago.  

"Afterparty" is the name of the event. Her atelier in Flüelastrasse 47 is a space shared by nine artists and I believe it’s the address to remember.  It’s been a while I had such a good time. Maria’s paintings – romantic yet edgy – brought me back in time, the time I should not have remembered because I was too young… the end of Soviet era, maybe? When all forbidden fruits have been discovered one by one, and sometimes all together at once.

Artist Maria Pomiansky and Art critic Alexandr Schumow

And surely the after-party in the kitchen is the best part, with chaotic conversations in Swiss German, broken English and drunken Russian; with bravado arm wrestling and philosophical mood in the cigarette smoke…it feels like a breath of fresh air at last. 

I am reluctant to leave, but I have to: other worlds are waiting. I can’t wait to leave. I can’t wait to come back. I can’t wait.

AB

Taste of Summer

Alex (see previous post) inspired me to finally go through the recent photos and organize a photo blog, an old idea of mine. You can find it in the top right corner of this blog under PHOTOGRAPHY/ФОТОРАБОТЫ.

More than that, I am seriously thinking to take photography a bit more seriously :-). Summer is here, people and flowers are out! It’s the best time to collect bright memories!  That’s where I come in with my camera, happy to capture your kid’s first steps, or his first wild birthday party… or your own wild party, a romantic picnic, a family gathering, an art event – you name it. All within Switzerland of course.

Have a wonderful weekend!

AB 

Alex

Yesterday my godson Alex turned 1 year old!

The happiest child I know Alex threw a little tantrum just before the candle lighting ceremony. He’ll hate me for posting this, I suppose!

Happy Birthday, little Alex!

Your mean godmother,

AB   

En bref...

Short Film Nights are swiping through Switzerland. Yesterday the event arrived to Aarau in Kino Schloss. 

Films are divided into blocks, such as “Over the limit – New Aargauer short films”,  „Science fiction – the Universe is everywhere“, “Swiss Shorts - Award-winning Swiss films”,  “Best of – 10 years of short film night tour”. 

I have no idea who told me that I did not like short films… no wait, it was me. And I was very very wrong – I loved it! (yes, yes, the queen of inconsistency…)

I liked all of the Swiss Shorts, I can’t even chose a favorite… “L’ambassadeur et moi” was very human and sentimental at the end, but the shock came with “Bon voyage”, an animated film by Fabio Friedli, 2011. When the screen went dark at the end, the theater fell into silence; I think people were uncomfortable even to breathe.  

Catching only a half of Science Fiction block and I immediately fell in love with Yuri, lost in endless universe.  

Yuri. Immanuel Wagner / Katja Schiendorfer / Cécile Brun / Nils Hedinger, Switzerland, 2009, 

“Le Voyage dans la lune” - an ironic interpretation of our reality -  is undeniably a hit too, with its new soundtrack and recently restored colors…  Impossible to imagine that the film was made 110 years ago. 

Le voyage dans la lune. Georges Méliès, France, 1902, 13 '

Kurzfilmnacht tour 2012 is definitely something to see in the coming months. Here you can find next dates and places of the Short Film Night tour 2012. 

And if you by chance find yourself in the old town of Aarau snatch the opportunity to pass by Tuchlaube, a theater and a café where you can eat delicious „flammkuchen“ and drink bright and perfect for these finally sunny days “Bicicletas” :-)

Have a good week!

Love,

AB

Another Air

A friend’s resent trip to Prague reminded me that I completely forgot to tell you about MY recent trip to Prague.  It has been a sunny day and a cool wind was blowing and bringing another air to the city.

 “Another Air” is a name of the exhibition displaying past two decades of Czech and Slovak Surrealism at Prague’s Old Town Hall.

Lucie Hrušková, kresba

The exhibits were very eclectic: from oil paintings, to colorful drawings, to totem sculptures, to video installations, to mind-disturbing collages, showing a true all-embracing nature of Surrealism.

 Kathleen Fox, Schovej se, valko, 2002

Leonidas Kryvošej, Erós-Thanatos 

Wandering between the exhibits in the narrow corridors of the ancient building one could read quotations about art by Czech and Slovak artists and prominent. I liked very much the passage of Blazej Ingr: “One cannot reach for expressive means as one would for the kitchen utensils. It is necessary to reach for them as one reaches for a paperweight in a fury”. 

Speaking of the art and the fury… Washing my brushes at the end of the day today, I thought it did look quite furious :-), so I made a photo.

Nice weekend to all.

Love,

AB

Up close and personal

Vienna is celebrating the 150 anniversary of the birthday of one of it’s most prominent and beloved sons – Gustav Klimt. I had no idea until I arrived to Vienna a week ago. Gigantic posters announce special Klimt events all over the city. To say I was overwhelmed would be a major understatement.

Wein Museum, Art History Museum, Leopold Museum, Succession, Belvedere – just to name a few must-sees in the next several months in Vienna. Each exhibition is designed differently and focuses on a particular facet of Klimt’s life.  I had only two short days in Vienna and it was virtually impossible to see everything. 

I enter Leopold Museum holding my breath. “Klimt - up close and personal” is the name of the exhibition. Throughout the gallery there is a glass display with hundreds of postcards.   

Just a few meters away from his paintings I stop and look at the glass case. And I cannot move. I see Klimt himself. Not the renowned artist but a man. His handwriting, his thoughts, his signature “Kindest regards, GUS”. All of the cards are addressed to Emilie Flöge, his faithful friend and life companion.

Portrait of Emilie Flöge by Gustav Klimt, 1902

None of them are remotely romantic, which just adds to a theory that they had a platonic connection (he did father 14 children from various women during the years of their friendship).

119 Postcard from Gustav Klimt in Vienna to Emilie Flöge, in Paris 27.02.1909, private collection.

TIVOLI- Saturday 27.02.09 –around zero degrees, some sun, hung-over, conference, then (Cabaret) Fledermaus (…) , back at 3 o’clock, slept badly, unfortunately. Kindest regards, GUS

It might sound strange, but it was my best “Klimt moment”. There will be other moments, of course. Vienna fascinated me deeply and I am planning to go back soon. My first impression of the city was that I found myself in a clean, calm Paris. And just like Paris Vienna is famous for it's authentic cafés. Café Central, Café Mozart, Café Sacher offer everything a demanding gourmand can expect. But if you are looking for a quiet and intimate atmosphere, go to Café Hawelka  in the old town (Dorotheergasse 6).

Opened in 1936 by Leopold and Josefine Hawelka, and re-opened right after the II World War in 1945, this cafe quickly became a refuge for local and international artists and intellectuals (Andy Warhol, Peter Ustinov, Udo Jürgens – just to name a few guests). In the evening they serve delicious dumplings filled with fire hot jam, being faithful to an original recipe of Josephine Hawelka.

Afterwards there has been a wonderful day in Prague, but I will leave it for another post.

Love,

AB

Works of heArt

Just as I was going to write a lamenting post about how I am tired of this endless winter, the sun came out and the rest of snow is melting and everything seems cheerier.

Since quite a long time I planned to post the painting of a Kulobi dancer which I finished last spring. Kulob is a region in Tajikistan where ancient traditions are kept sacredly from generation to generation. Their beautiful dances and colorful, hand-made clothes are captivating. So now I just have finished a “sister” painting of a Kulobi dancer – “On the market”. Both paintings measure 150 cm x 50 cm, medium: acrylic paint on cotton canvas.

They are not cutting edge contemporary art pieces, but warm memories that come from the heart, colorful souvenirs that can brighten up someone’s day.

Embroidered piece from Central Asia (Suzani). Designs often include flowers and circular forms signifying the sun.

 Have a sunny weekend.

Love,

AB

Parlez-vous Français?..

Handkerchiefs come very handy this chilly winter.

A frozen fountain infront of the Zurich train station...

So when a friend invited me to watch a film “Les petits mouchoirs” (English title: “Little white lies”) I thought: “Hmm, how appropriate”. (The selection of French cheeses and wine accompanying the screening was almost as tempting as the delicious summer movie by Guillaume Canet…)

- You know why it is called “Les petits mouchoirs”, by the way?
- I don’t know… Maybe they do some Russian folk dance in the middle of the film?
- Yeah, funny. Actually no, the French say: if you got a problem, take a handkerchief (un mouchoir), wrap it in and put it in your pocket…

“At 35, you don't look at things the same way as when you're 20, you've already taken a few knocks. I decided to enter a process of analysis—a fairly time-consuming process that was more productive than I could ever have imagined because it resulted in me writing this script in under five months. That's what makes the movie so special for me. I cannot make a more personal movie than LES PETITS MOUCHOIRS”. (from the interview with the movie director Guillaume Canet, http://www.quinsreviews.com/).

Guillaume Canet

It’s a dramatic comedy about friendship and human interaction, about inner conflicts and explosions of unexpected reactions. It is life shot from the inside. You are being pulled into the screen, on the sandy beaches and cozy sofas and into the broken hearts. What moves me especially is the film’s versatility, the power to touch a person of any age. Sitting in a semidarkness I notice people having their emotional moments, laughing and crying at their own reflections on the screen, all at different times.

Oh, yes…The soundtrack is outstanding…Have a look:

The cast is perfect too: Gilles Lellouche, Marion Cotillard, François Cluzet , Jean Dujardin… Anyway, it seems those Frenchies are taking over me a little by little… With their cheeses and wines, their humor and sensibility, and their cinema, of course.

Another must-see is “Intouchables”, a French drama and a comedy about a paralyzed Parisian aristocrat and a young offender of Senegalese descent, who become inseparable. Inspired by a true story the film is even more poignant.

So grab a good friend and go to see a good film - this endless winter will seem a little warmer and a little shorter.
 
Je vous aime,
AB

From Russia With Love

The other day I absolutely unexpectedly got a beautiful little present from St.Petersburg: this porcelain plate from the Imperial Porcelain Manufacture, the oldest (founded in 1744) porcelain producer in Russia.

I fell in love with its mix of Russian folklore and Russian avant-garde. Of course, I like to think of its design as of me embracing a coming new year. We know that 2012 is the year of a Dragon, right?

So congratulations to all the dragons (…, 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000) it will be your year – it’s time to dare and create.

"2012 is called the Year of the Water Dragon. Dragons are powerful and magical creatures. Dragon years are times of destiny and decision. The beneficial influence of Water encourages cooperation, sensitivity to others, and mutual understanding in pursuit of important goals. Water Dragon requires tough choices and a willingness to surrender what is no longer necessary. Although this may seem daunting, the proper use of Dragon energy attracts good fortune", says http://www.horoscope.com/.

With many warm wishes for the New Year and of course -

Love,

AB

You got 36 hours

“We don’t get a chance to do that many things, and every one should be really excellent. Because this is our life. Life is brief, and then you die, you know? And we’ve all chosen to do this with our lives. So it better be damn good. It better be worth it. “– Steve Jobs

At the end of each year I often find myself in a retrospective mood. Don’t you? We so often hear (or say) “Life is short!”. What does this mean? Is it really possible to measure time that is left to us and use it in the most efficient and wonderful manner?..

Simona Hofmann is asking herself the same question tonight on the modest stage of Teatro Palino, Baden, Switzerland. Her second solo performance came out first days of December, and today is the closing play. She has got 36 hours. What happens afterwards? Is this the end? Or a beginning? An illusion?

Last year Simona came out with her first grotesque and provoking solo piece “Night explodes your dreams” where an oversized handbag played a role of a mobile stage and a centerpiece. This time it is a gigantic white stiletto – a home, a prison, a ship to sail, to run away from false expectations and imposed dreams… There is almost no text, and imagination of a viewer is floating together with the plastique of the heroine, surreal sound and a beautiful light set up.

Photo by Reto Lanzendörfer

I feel like I need white stilettos too these days…but it is winter and the reality presents unromantic hairy boots or clumsy plastic ski shoes (if you get lucky!)… But you know what I need more than the white stilettos right now? I need good books! It is one of the few elegant ways to get through winter.

With a shame and horror I realized the other day that I haven’t read a single book in several months. Sure I have excuses, but the fact is inexcusable in any case, so being stuck for a millionth time at another train station I stepped into the book shop and studied the shelves. My choice for now: “i Steve” – inspirational thoughts of Steve Jobs, and a novel by Jean-Michel Guenassia “Le Club des Incorrigibles Optimistes” (the Club of Hopeless Optimists).

I knew very little about Steve Jobs before his resent untimely departure. The guy was a genius and an optimist with the big “O”. A novel of Jean-Michel Guenassia (through which I struggle with great pleasure…why struggle?.. It’s in French!) is an intense intrigue and a tender story about real friendship.

What are you reading these days? And what are you listening? Today (again being stuck between the trains – figuratively speaking) I discovered a new musician: Gruff Rhys. I even bought - the scandal in these days of free media stuff! - one of his songs on iTunes: “Shark ridden waters”. Another song was called “If we were words”. Beautiful title, isn’t it? It got me thinking. (Yes, perhaps I do have too much time in my hands…) If you had one word to describe yourself what would it be?

I’d like to reserve one: “Happy”.

Happy coming Christmas everybody.

Love,

AB

Happy Thanksgiving!

I nearly missed it. See, I am having a little pause from the outside world…(Ah, you’ve noticed...) No, I am not in the rehab; well, ok, kind of. I spend my days eating delicious organic food, walking through foggy landscapes and thinking about good things. I am even considering to start yoga (it’s a good thing, right?), although there might be a little problem finding a yoga teacher within the radius of 150 km…

Anyway, there is an occasional connection to internet, so I found out about Thanksgiving. I wish you a good day around those you care about, and do count the things you are grateful for!

Love,

AB

Dasha + Sasha

Daria and Alexandre (Dasha and Sasha for friends and family) are getting married. Today. In fact, as we speak (or shall I say: as I am talking to myself here) they are having a hellova  of a party. 

Dasha is a little sister of an old good school friend of mine, and as I was in the area visiting my family, they asked me to make their wedding pictures. Unfortunately I had to fly back a couple of days earlier, so I offered them a "prenuptial" photo session.

I was torn apart between colored or monochrome version, and finally decided for monochrome: Their raging youth and the rampant late summer verdure just couldn’t fit into the picture :-). No, really, the colored version came out very dynamic; but I prefer this one,  it’s a little more romantic and nostalgic.

Love,
AB

Bye-Bye Summer

So the summer is officially over. Are you sad about the fact? Me? Au contraire.  I am looking forward to autumn with its gray and foggy days  and spider nets beaded with morning dew…  With leaves turning all shades of amber…. With streets shining after the evening shower reflecting lights of dressed-up shop windows. No, really. 

Ok, I am being a little mischievous here (when am I not?). Writing that, I am keeping one eye on my watch and a suitcase at the door… The thing is I am leaving in a half an hour… I am going back to summer. No, I am not traveling back in time; I am flying to Central Asia this afternoon.  Just to clear the picture: the local weather forecast for today : +30C, Sunny..Ha!

Enjoy the autumn! I will send a postcard from summer!

Love,

AB

Surreal Camping Rimini

Baden (Switzerland) is a city which - once discovered - never really lets you go. Cozy streets of the old part with its welcoming cafes and cultural venues: province at its best, familiar, yet never boring and capable to surprise again and again. 

Every summer Stella Mark Palino Brunner (A former clown, mime and rope dancer, an actor, director and theater manager, and a symbol of Baden since years) puts up a summer theatre, bringing together friends, professional artists, musicians, acrobats under the same roof. This summer is the roof (or rather say many little camping tents) of Camping Rimini. 

 Image www.baden.ch

This contemporary theatrical work is a reflection on the possible and impossible coexistence of people.  Camping site - the model of our colorful and complexed complex  world.  Grotesque, political, surrealistic, funny with a touch of fatalism - for two hours Camping Rimini keeps you keen and wondering “What comes next?”... Life-size giraffes, piano soaring above spectators, rope dancers, racing cars – what else is needed to keep you entertained? :-)  

  Nadine Tobler and Yannick Longet

 Maren Gamper in a retro futuristic suit is soaring above spectators while playing piano

If you happen to be around Baden these days do go and see Camping Rimini summer theatre. The show goes on till September 11^th 2011. For detailed information  go to http://www.sommertheater-baden.ch .

Just a few hundred meters from the camping site there was another wonderful event last night:  two years anniversary of Frau Meise, a little cafe and a design shop in the heart of the old Baden. Here antique furniture and fresh homemade cupcakes meet young designers from all over Europe. Regular concerts take place as well. For more info go to http://www.fraumeise.ch. 

Gotta run now. Have a nice Sunday, everybody!
Love,
A.B.

Waterlilies on the snow

Caught in a whirlpool of summer I forgot to tell you about some fantastic things and places I’ve discovered lately... Where to start?... Where to start?... How about mountains – there is always something magical to discover in the mountains... Or how about a town? Or better yet – the ancient town in the mountains which history goes two thousand years back to Celtic tribes and Roman expansions? 

 Roman Amphitheater in Martigny. Image www.isyours.com

At the foot of Swiss Alps squeezed between France and Italy lies a little town Martigny. St.Moritz, the famous ski resort nearby, steals the attention for the most of the time, but not when it comes to art.  Of course I had no idea that there was actually “art” in Martingny, until a friend has told me about a unique exhibition of Claude Monet paintings at the Fondation Gianadda.   It took no time to set the navigator...

Foundation Pierre Gianadda.

 

In the spring of 1976, while planning to build an apartment building on a parcel of land he owned, Leonard Gianadda, engineer, discovered the remains of a Gallo-Roman temple, the oldest of its kind in Switzerland.  Soon after, July 31, 1976, his younger brother, Pierre, died tragically in a plane crash.  Leonard decided to create a foundation to perpetuate his memory. This cultural center has been erected  around the ancient temple. 

 

 Claude Monet: «Le Pont de l'Europe, Gare Saint-Lazare», 1877, Oil on canvas

 Claude Monet: Olive tree wood in the Moreno garden {Bordighera} (1884)

Of course the paintings of Claude Monet were captivating and a special touch to the exhibition was added by the fact that many exhibits belong to private collections and in this constellation they won’t be seen very soon... But the best feature of the museum was the light itself, streaming through the roof. 

First floor of the foundation hosts a Gallo-Roman museum. The collection includes offerings, coins, pottery, jewellery, clothing clasps, weapons, etc. It also houses the famous Great Bronzes of Octodurus, depicting the head of a three-horned bull, discovered in 1883, as well as some pieces of the Délèze Treasure, a replica of Aphrodite at Cnidus by Praxiteles, an Apollo...

Permanent exhibitions include Automobile Museum, The Chagall Court, Le Pavillon Szafran, The Sculpture park. There is also an exposition "Leonardo da Vinci: The inventor" taking place until October 22nd. I missed all of this! So I have to return there very very soon.

This is summer for you - too much to do. I am a terrible reporter in summer, if I were a journalist I'd be fired. But thank God I am an artist. We are allowed to be eccentric, lazy and whimsical. Yes. But we are hard-working and tormented - most of the times. Busy at the very least. 

Apart from cruising around the country in the search of beauty, I have been working on several paintings. I am posting this one, even so it is still unfinished. Based on  a dream I had a while ago, memories and elements evolved into a completely new idea in the process of creation. There is no title yet to this one. 

100 cm x 100 cm, Oil, acrylic and Gold leaf (23.75 K) on canvas. 

Busy, busy beautiful week to everyone!

Bisoux,

AB