Results tagged “arts”

Hot off the press from Queer Comrades: this selection of ten of the most well-received Chinese language lesbian films. For those of you queer film aficionados that are interested, many of these films are actually available in your local DVD store.

Already established in the Detroit art scene, Sara Blakeman’s first show in China is a promising start of things to come for the Shanghai art scene from the petite American. Aptly named, Dance This Mess Around, the exhibition showcases cutesy paper constructions, embodying Blakeman’s self described “wonder and frustrations” with China:

• 'Slumdog' opens as Boyle says he'll helm Shanghai film fest [Shanghai Daily] "Danny Boyle will be the jury president for this year's Shanghai International Film Festival, the Oscar-winning director confirmed at the Chinese mainland premiere of 'Slumdog Millionaire' in Beijing yesterday. 'It's fantastic to be in a film festival,' Boyle said, adding that the Shanghai event will be his first jury assignment."
• Report Says Executions Doubled in 2008 [NYTimes.com] With at least 1,718, China was responsible for 72 percent of all executions in 2008, the report stated. After China were Iran (346), Saudi Arabia (102), the United States (37) and Pakistan (36), according to the group. 'Together they carried out 93 percent of all executions worldwide,' the report said. The Chinese authorities also handed down at least 7,003 new death sentences last year, although the report said the true total of both executions and death sentences 'remains shrouded in secrecy.' Some countries, China and North Korea among them, do not disclose the number of executions they carry out."
• China Unicom should quash iPhone launch date rumors to secure best deal - expert [Interfax TMT China] "Xiang Ligang, CEO of domestic telecom news portal Cctime.com and guest columnist for Interfax, told Chinese magazine PC Home that he is concerned over the widespread rumor that China Unicom is, for reasons of prestige, determined to strike a deal with Apple in time to allow it to release the iPhone in China by May 17. He said that if true, the rumors reveal China Unicom's bottom line in the negotiations, vastly strengthening Apple's hand."

Zachary Mexico's first book, China Underground, just came out this month. It's an edgy look at margins of modern China—and it's a real page-turner. Mexico mixes it up with the masses, returning with sixteen tales of unique individuals "trying to figure out what's going on, trying to carve a place out for themselves in the new China."

Let's make this as short and sweet as possible. You've had three weeks to pony your lazy arse to Lit Fest, so if you miss it, don't blame us for not keeping you blissfully well-informed. And if you miss out, you really ARE missing out--if not just for the fabulous view out the window of Glamour Bar in broad daylight.

When we first arrived in Shanghai a long, long time ago, all there was to do on weekends was vogue at Bar Rouge---balancing champagne glasses and tottering around on stilettos while trying to not catch our hair on fire. Well, things have changed. Champagne is no longer as popular and now there is a Barbie shop to vogue around at, plus this weekend our Pearl of the East has oystered out an arts scene involving more than the usual bomb shelters, beer and beavers.

Mix Hindi hip hop, Chinese visuals and Bollywood-style dancing and the result is this music video from the soundtrack of the new made-in-China Bollywood film Chandni Chowk to China. For a new trailer of the movie, see below the fold. Shanghai scenes appear between 1:50 and 2:06

                            

Beautiful Thing, Shanghai's first gay play directed by Michael Darragh, received two standing ovations at the Zhijiang Dream Factory last weekend. The play was followed by a pink tie party organised by Shanghai LGBT in which they crowned their Drag King and Queen of the year.

Ray Harris "an exceptionally talented keyboard player who pushes Jazz into the electronic slip stream with an experimental fusion of jazz, funk and soul" (Will Page, Straight No Chaser) is performing at Jz Club, Shanghai this Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday night.

Danwei points us to this cute little video spoof of Street Fighter shot by students at the Central Academy of Fine Arts.

 

Looks like there will indeed be a direct time conflict between Beijing's Midi and Modern Sky festivals, with the former scheduled for Sept 29 - October 2, and the latter confirmed to start one day later and wrap on the 2nd as well. We wonder if concert goers will choose to hop between Haidian Park and the Olympic Sports Centre Stadium, rather than committing to Midi with the RMB 150 4-day ticket (day passes to the festivals cost just RMB 50 for Midi and 60 for Modern Sky). Midi hasn't gotten a license yet, much less confirmed its line-up, but Modern Sky has scheduled 40-odd acts (not including 25 DJs), among them Re-TROS, New Pants, Carsick Cars, Queen Sea Big Shark, and Joyside.

    

Forget your banking cube farm in the WFC, Shanghai's coolest office space is Leafy Shade in Hong Kou district.

Get cultural with violinist Ryo Goto, who will be performing Dvorak and Paganini at the Oriental Arts Center.This young musician was born in 1988 but has already made himself an impressive career. Booking hotline at: 62172426, 62173055. Tickets cost between 100 and 600 yuan, from 7:30 pm. 272 Fengxian Road, 奉贤路272号（近江宁路南京西路梅陇镇广场).

After a grueling day at work, head to the new Bulldog for Mojito Tuesdays — free flow mojitos for ladies all night, no cover. Judging from the success of its grand opening on Friday, Bulldog draws a crowd you don't want to miss. 1 Wulumuqi Nan Lu (across the street from the American Consulate)

More photos on the Shanghaiist Contribute page. To see your photos on our Contribute page, use Flickr and tag your photos “shanghaiist”. Or you can email your photos to photos@shanghaiist.com and they will automatically appear on our site (and here).

Think you're hot enough to be a model? Find out Thursday night at Club G Plus, where Adidas Originals is hosting a fashion model search. Have a professional photographer take your picture at the main entrance, then head in for the party with no cover, free selected cocktails and music mixed by DJ Samir. The drink specials are enough to make you forget all about modeling, until Adidas calls you back for its fashion show in August... 5f, Block 7 of Xintiandi, Xinye Lu, near Madang Lu

In March we introduced you to the "mother" of Chinese opera, Kunqu. This weekend Shanghai residents will have a chance to see if this ancient performing art can be transformed into something — how shall we put it — easier on the ears by blending in a touch of Jazz.

If you're dying to see a drag show like no other, you are in luck! Starting yesterday at the Shanghai Grand Theatre, the Broadway musical Hairspray made its debut in Shanghai and will continue to play nightly for about two weeks. After that, they are off to Beijing for a week of performances.

Chinese art is where it's at, especially in our own city of Shanghai, says this video featuring interviews with curators at MOCA and Moganshan. The swelling popularity of the genre is evidenced by an impressive statistic — in 2004, Sotheby’s auctioned off $3 million in Chinese art, a number that increased to $70 million last year. Respect for the burgeoning art scene doesn’t just come from abroad, but from China’s own youth, who are becoming increasingly interested in artistic expression as a means of self-expression during a time that they, and the nation, are undergoing massive and accelerated change. But don't just take their word for it — get out to some of the exhibits that are in the city this month. Our picks: World Press Photo Exhibition, a stroll in Taiking Road Art Center or a trip to MOCA’s first-ever exhibition of exclusively Shanghai-based artists. World Press: Songjiang Art Museum, No. 601, Lane 900, Sanxin Road North, Songjiang District; Taiking Road Art Center: Lane 210 Taiking Lu; MOCA: Inside People's Park, next to Barbarossa. Enter near Starbucks and Shanghai Art Museum at 231 Nanjing Xi Lu, near Huangpi Lu or Xizhang Zhong Lu 人民公园 ，南京西路231号，人民广场

With recent reports of China suspending fireworks factories' shipments stateside, American expats in the mood to celebrate July 4 with fireworks will be glad they're in Shanghai. This and four other reasons why it's good to be in this city.

The exhibit is scheduled to travel to over 100 cities around the globe, with an estimated 2.5 million iewing the photographs, and it will be stopping in Shanghai from July 3 to 24 at the Songjiang Art Museum. The show features the winning works of the World Press Photo Contest, showcasing the most interesting, creative images of illustrious photojournalists from the past year. The exhibit, most recently shown in Moscow, The Netherlands, Chile and New York City, opens Wednesday at 10am. It's a little out of the way, we know, but we think it will be worth the trip. Shanghai-based Ariana Lindquist who won first prize in the Arts and Entertainments section of the awards will be exhibiting her works.

If you haven’t been yet, check out Curry Wednesday at O’Malley’s. Nothing like stuffing your face with Indian deliciousness to get you over the hump, we always say. 2 Taojiang Lu, Changning near Hengshan Lu, 桃江路42号 近衡山路, 地铁1号线衡山路站

On the list of things that seriously really piss us off children’s movies, Americanized kung fu and animated pandas don’t exactly play a starring role. In fact, it’s probably fair to say they don’t even make a cameo. Unfortunately for artist Zhao Bandi (赵半狄), all these things seem to be at the top of his list, and all these things are clearly evident in DreamWorks’ new film Kung Fu Panda. To display his righteous outrage, Zhao rallied his (only?) two friends and fellow panda advocates for a protest outside the Beijing State Administration of Radio Film and Television offices, brandishing a petition calling for the film’s release to be canceled. Choice words from the protest, courtesy of WSJ Blogs: “If the Hollywood film ‘Kung Fu Panda’ is released on Jun. 20, it will be just like snatching the necklaces and watches from the corpses of disaster victims.” Um, ok. How so?

Among the main gripes with the film: Hollywood is exploiting China’s “national treasure” (its pandas) and its martial arts; the film is made by Dreamworks, a studio founded by Steven Spielberg (who withdrew from his role as an adviser to the Beijing Olympics earlier this year over concerns about China’s role in Sudan); and more broadly, it’s a Hollywood film, and Hollywood is the place that produced Sharon Stone, reviled in China for her Cannes comments about Tibet, the Sichuan earthquake and karma.

A student after a school performance washing the make up from his face.

By Sue Anne Tay

By Sue Anne Tay

One of William Shakespeare's most famous plays comes to Shanghai tonight as TNT's production of Hamlet begins its run over at the Shanghai Dramatic Arts Centre on Anfu Lu. Arguably among the most intriguing and complex of the tragedies penned by the Bard, Hamlet explores the themes of revenge, madness (both apparent and real), and, ultimately, death — all in the "rotten" state of Denmark. Featuring some of Shakespeare's most famous and revered moments (the 'to be or not to be' speech and the 'play within a play' scene, for example), the tale of Prince Hamlet's attempts to avenge his father's murder contains great drama throughout.

Jake Newby's recent post on Shanghaiist hinted at the erosion of Moganshan Lu's art district by new development. Following up, we bring you images from the area and can only hope that the 'development' is to put in riverside parkland around the then preserved heritage architecture, taking the arts district to the next level. And letting Island6 back in once the new gardens are done. We can dream, can't we?

It's been a while, but this Sunday will see a welcome return for the PAUSE collective, who will be bringing their heady mix of independent art, music, and creative stalls to everyone's favourite ex-Blue Ice hang out, The Shelter. Kicking off at 4pm down on Yong Fu Lu, there will be a bunch of inventive things to get excited about, featuring contributors from across the globe and, of course, the cream of Shanghai's arts scene.