Winter Fun

Walking in fresh snow this winter is a totally different sensation than swimming in the ocean at Venice Beach these past previous years.

Les Plaisirs d’hiver (or winter wonders) organized by the city of Brussels consist of a wide array of attractions in the vicinity of the Grand Place and a highly promoted Christmas market. Commercially exploited to cater to thousands of locals and tourists, the merchants, set up in prefab chalets, sell all kinds of X-mas gifts and various comfort foods, from sauerkraut with sausages, greasy donuts, pancakes with Nutella chocolate spread, all flushed away with huge amounts of mulled wine and/or liquor shots. Any excuse to stay warm will do.

Though I like hearing the different languages and dialects of the people, I cannot stand the smell of the pungent food for longer than a few minutes, and am escaping in search of more creative inspiring activities.

In the evening I attend a screening of “Turquaze”, as part of a small film festival featuring recent Belgian films. Telling the obstacles of a young Flemish-Turkish couple amidst deeply rooted cultural traditions, the film has serious flaws.

More enjoyable is the post-screening reception, where I ran into a fellow LA friend/expat & actor, J.P. We are sharing our stories on (re)new(ed) living and professional experiences and challenges in our native country … , mutual encouraging words feel good.

On Sunday afternoon wandering through more fresh snow to Gallery Espace Blanche (white space) – is white a theme here? – for a festive lunch, organized and prepared by the two female artists, Sophie S. (paintings) and Nath Kahan (sculpture), whose work is on display at the gallery.

Surrounded by strong and personal art, live jazzy sounds by family members of the artists, playful children, I munch on delicious food and embrace the impressions of these warm moments. I really love Sophie’s acrylic and mixed media paintings, inspired by “the impression of a sacred dance, where the sea and the earth hug each other” (sic Sophie S.).

For me now it’s dancing (if not slipping) in the snow on the way home!

Diversity

One of the many aspects of a metropolis is its diversity. That’s not different in Brussels, the capital of Europe, where people form diverse origins live. This colorful mixture, not always easy to structure and handle politically and socially, does liven up the city’s culture.

Last Thursday was the closing night of the first “Fortnight for Equal Rights and Diversity”, a new initiative by the Brussels government, to raise awareness in this matter through a variety of programs.

For the closing night celebrations I went to the historic city hall on the Grand Place, a jewel of Gothic architecture. After all these years, I fell in awe again for its beauty!

With an eclectic array of songs, the female group “Ik zeg Adieu” (I say Goodbye) gave voice to the closing night reception for the campaign to respect women’s rights.

Afterwards, I headed over to the venue “La Tentation” for more festivities: yummy food and drinks, and feel-good songs and music by the band “Viva Ninas”. Those women rocked the house with their folky, jazzy, sometimes bizarre interpretations of popular Eurovision tunes. They got many bodies moving, including mine ... a great way to cheer up a cold evening!

Facing Fall

I am continuing my “Brussels travels”. I moved to a friend’s place in the center of the city, which is unbelievably convenient. Walking distance to shops and the major cultural venues in town, what a treat!

Less of a treat is that fall has taken over the town, and with it comes an abundance of gray skies and rain … very common for Belgium, but not so for me anymore. I am already missing the Los Angeles’ sun and warmth and the darkest winter months are still to come. Oh no!

Have to explore alternatives: hammam, tanning salon, getaway to a mediterranean country? Will have to save up first.

For now, creativity and “getaways” in the local art world have to distract me from the daily grayness.

More dancing and moving, taking a contemporary dance class, visiting more art galleries and expositions are on my agenda.

During one of my recent “art wanderings” I came across the exhibition “Un corps a soi” (a body of one’s own) – photographs by the Belgian filmmaker Marie Mandy. In these very personal, often confrontational and overall liberating images, she documents her healing process of breast cancer. Mandy also wrote a diary “AMAZONe” and made a documentary reflecting all her emotions and anxieties involving. Calling herself a modern day “amazon”, she quotes the legendary artist Louise Bourgeois: “Through art, we transcend real life. Being an artist, we can overcome our torments and guarantee our mental health”.

Let art guide and inspire, indeed.

Brussels Revisited

I arrived in Brussels 10 days ago and ... wow...what an avalanche of impressions and emotions in various directions it has been!

First of all, there is the absolutely amazing home – a modern spacious loft with terrific view over the city - of my friends Ruben, Vif and Jef I am staying. Their warm and generous welcome is an angel’s gift. Jawel, Vifke, ge zijt mijnen saving angel – Villa Vif - Vive la vie, vivre sa vie – love you, you have no idea!

Wandering with my friends through car free Brussels on Sunday, discovering new stores, some galleries, artsy spots and corners with a “Venice Beach flair”, re-discovering my old neighborhood, how cool is that?

I meet their friends, some of my old friends, and even took a contemporary dance class with the same teacher of 18 years ago.

Attended the season’s opening event at Passa Porta, an international literary bookshop and salon in the centre of Brussels. Flemish writer/traveler Lieve Joris read from her work – inspired by her journeys through Africa and Asia -, followed by the avant-premiere of a documentary about her. Extremely inspiring. World traveler, can identify with very well!

One of the author’s quotes stuck me: “No matter where you go, you always (have to) take everything with you”.

Truth and wisdom revealing – welcome Brussels, welcome new chapter in my life!

New York Vibes!

To say there is plenty to do in NYC is an understatement. There is an abundance of fun things to do in the “City that never sleeps”. Even a lot of free stuff, if you do your homework and search numerous websites & blogs covering cheap & free NY.

I’ve been having a blast here! Catching up with friends, numerous art show openings - a group at the Gallery House in Clinton Hill (Brooklyn) the most notorious so far. Sitting in the backyard of a historical Brownstone, on a warm evening, sipping a glass of wine, chatting with artists, discussing art and world travels, just wonderful.

Another superb evening was the Dance Theatre Workshop pre-season party, where I met the young Australian dancer/choreographer Ian Colless, doing an internship at the Battery Dance Company. A descent of an Australian aboriginal tribe –the Gundungurra Nation – he’s in the process on creating a dance opera on and with them. How intriguing!

Highlight last week was the screening of the Belgian film “The Misfortunates” – not exactly a literally translation of the Flemish title “De Helaasheid der Dingen” which is beautifully poetic – at the Flanders House. Enjoyed the humoristic, very Flemish feeling film a lot and the delicious appetizers and libations hit the spot. Stunning view over the Big Apple from a 44^th floor in Central Manhattan – unbeatable!

From LA to NY

What a couple of full days it has been!

Last Friday my birthday with (my last for now) First Fridays on Abbot Kinney, followed by a nice treat at Hama Sushi by two good friends.

Farewell old neighborhood! I had lots of fun here, and you were an important part of my life.

Sunday some “artistic” friends of mine joined me in a lovely, sunny garden for great conversation, BBQ delights, and a glass of wine. Creating art, writing, expressing anger by female writers vs. male writers, what brought us to and inspired us in the City of Angels, were hot topics. Go figure.

Thanks for a wonderful time, friends. I will miss you … but will be back some time.

In less than 2 days I am heading to New York. Curious what my explorations there will bring. Very excited to organize a retrospective evening of Broad Humor shorts in Brooklyn (on August 29), in collaboration with Malesha of the Musesalon Collective. Any New York peeps out there, check it out and spread the word!

Up to my next adventure!

For more info on the retrospective: http://www.broadhumor.com

Caravan Palace at Grand Performances

One of the things to do before leaving Los Angeles?

Catching a (free) Grand Performances show at California Plaza on a warm summer evening. Hot bill on Friday evening was the Parisian sensation “Caravan Palace” … and I had no idea to what extend it was going to ignite the massive audience!

Its unique sounds combine flapper swing, gypsy/jazz arrangements and generous scoops of electro pop wrapped with weird, energetic lyrics all held together with virtuosic performances on guitar, violin, double bass, trombone, clarinet and electronics. Name it “electro-swing a la francaise”!

An amazing show this “troupe” gave. One couldn’t sit/stay still by its enticing, wacky vibes, they called for a dance party! Even I shaked my booty (see video below)!

In the midst of the second set the crowd was going completely wild.

Some overheated shakers and groovers were running barefoot through the ponds at the plaza … to dismay of the organizers who stopped the concert for a few minutes until these peeps had left the fountains. It couldn’t stop the amused “bande” to play and sing to mesmerizing tunes and make for a superb and memorable evening. Merci, Caravan Palace, you have me hooked!

ArtInsight

Last Sunday afternoon I joined artists Michael Baroff and Norma, curator Jacki Paddock and friends at ArtInsight for an informal conversation about their work. The venue on the Westside is currently showing a photography group show, featuring nature inspired photographs by Norma, video art by Michael Baroff, among others.

In the inspiring discussion similarities as well as differences surfaced.

Norma is persuaded that training and technical expertise makes for a great picture, and that there should be standards. Others think that “a good eye” is all it takes. Who will tell?

Michael, who presented his aesthetically unique “Movement Series” – eight short videos capturing unscripted in the moment physical movement and ambient sound in local public environments – pointed out some interesting and personal thoughts. “Creating art is a process. It reflects one’s view of the world, combined with attitude, and mastering one’s technique of choice. I find satisfaction in the process. The fun part is to share my work with other people and friends, and feel validated.”

Jacki added: “Being creative, in whatever medium you choose, allows you freedom to do something else, and can be very therapeutic.”

Writing it is for me.

Photo credit: video still from “Moving Sunset” by Michael Baroff

For more info on this creative community:

http://www.meetup.com/Art-InSight

Video: “Boardwalk Beat” (Michael Baroff 2010)

How Do We Experience Art?

That was supposed to be the subject of this lecture.

As Geoff Dyer, author of The Ongoing Moment and, most recently, Jeff in Venice, Death in Varanasi, took the stage at the auditorium at the Getty Center, he insisted: “It’s important that you don’t know what this talk is going to be about.”

I was all ears and didn’t know what to expect. One hour later I was even more confused and amused.

Dyers’ talk was mainly about landmarks. He recalled landscapes from his youth. Next, unable to find Gauguin’s “Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going?” in Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts. Instead he came across “The Questioner of the Sphinx”, by Elihu Vedder. It seemed to Dyer an emblematic way of experiencing a landscape.

His wanderings brought him further to a square with poles and land art. He described Walter De Maria’s The Lightning Field, one of the great Land Art projects of the 1960s and 1970s … a sensational bit of marketing, an experience “almost unphotographable.” But unlike most art, it permits “freedom of behavior and response.” “And do not expect to see God appear at the field, there is no room for God”, Dyer ended his lecture.

Mesmerized by his words, now I have to read his books.

Red Book Dialogues

Related to the current exhibition The Red Book of C.G. Jung at the Hammer, artists and cultural icons are paired on stage with Jungian analysts or scholars and invited to interpret a folio from Jung’s Red Book as a starting point for a wide-ranging conversation.

This week’s duo featured filmmaker, artist and writer Miranda July, best know of her unique and very personal feature film Me and You and Everyone We Know, and Jungian analyst John Beebe, who concentrates particularly on American cinema in his work.

A little side note – a year or two ago, I got the pleasure of meeting Miranda when she took the same modern dance class as me!

Didn’t know what to expect of this dialogue but my curiosity was uttermost triggered when the two got off to a strange start… “Is this some kind of staged therapy session…?” went through my mind.

Beebe interpreted some of Miranda’ dreams – she acknowledged that most of her writing is based on her dreams -, and linked them to the Jungian theory of “active imagination”: how this translates in film, and to the “jouissance” of making a film?

Both further conversed about the intensity of the process of creating. For Miranda July it means going through a crisis. Beebe: “One has to go through this torture, it is hunting for one’s soul”. The conversation swerved on in this unusual vibe of in-depth “Jungian” observations by Beebe, and spontaneous, sometimes funny mutterings by July. Near the end Miranda even initiated some “performance art”: both are standing on the Red Book, “it supports us”, answering questions by the audience. Per the Jungian theory, Beebe broke down the nurturing of the creative process as follows: “Non Sense = not knowing what to do – vulnerable – see what happens.” Hammering words…

Art in the Afternoon

This sunny day calls for some outdoors activities, like a bike stroll in the neighborhood, direction beach.

On 7^th and Vernon, colorful balloons, a children’s bounce house, and a petting zoo catch my attention. I enter the courtyard. Tables with adults and children drawing and coloring, inside the studio all kinds of hands-on workshops (from drying flower petals, crafting small wooden jewelry boxes, to making simple jewelry…). They are part of this event Art in the Afternoon, benefiting the non-profit organization A Window Between Worlds, that helps children and women survivors of domestic violence recover from abuse using arts as a healing tool.

Founder Cathy Saiser tells: “These survivors are dealing with unsettled emotions, which they can release through creative expression. This relief opens up the healing.”

12-year old Destiny, a children’s workshop participant, shares her experience, how she finds empowerment though her voice and dancing. She sings with such an emotional voice, it’s very touching!

On my way out, I can’t help myself but color a few flower drawings. It feels good.

Isn’t that Diana’s voice, the one half of the duo Ketchup Soup, playing the button accordion and singing that unique mélange of folk, blues and jazz tunes, on the patio of Venice Beach Wines?

And then there is the salty smell of the ocean waves… my meditative moment.

Here’s the link for more info on A Window Between Worlds: http://www.awbw.org

Art and Italian food in affirming community

What a ride it was this weekend!

A visit to the Insight for the solo exhibit of mixed media works of urban artist Alexander Smith - a gentle low-key gathering -; followed by a stop at Altered Space Gallery on Abbot Kinney, to look at new works by Michele Mikesell, entitled “Chapter 3: Disambiguate”. One can tell artists as Dubuffet, Klee, Miro, among others, have influenced her. Let the child in you emerge.

Hot ticket was The Distillery, where artists MB Boissonnault, Judy Nimtz, Gary Palmer, and Jim Budman opened their studios for friends, art lovers and alike.

Judy’s recent, merely realistic paintings are the result of a plain-air trip through Istanbul, Paris and Normandy. Exotic escapism for some moments, directing my eyes to a figurative piece of a dancer, the dancer in me favors it. The eclectic crowd and plentiful of libations kept the energy moving in various ways. My travels on Sunday afternoon led me to Alessandra’s most stylish house and garden, for her goodbye lunch before she leaves for Italy for a few months. On the menu: an array of delicious homemade, authentic Italian platters, evoking the senses. Mama Mia! Not to speak of the Italian vibes that floated around, (predominant Italian) chatter – love to listen to it! - laughter, music … all guests shared in the enjoyments of the simple things in life.

Even if the sunshine was sparse, the warmth felt by these gathered friends and neighbors felt wonderful. Festa d’Alessandra…grazie!

City of Lights, City of Angels

Also known as COLCOA, a week of French film premieres in Hollywood. I love French films and since we don’t get to see them in Los Angeles that often, I usually like to check out a few of the latest French films “not to be missed.”

On Tuesday evening, my friend and I headed out to the Directors Guild of America pour une soirée de cinema.

Escaping into another world for a couple of hours, mingling with the French community of Los Angeles, enjoying some French conversation (read: small talk) – Bonsoir, comment-ça va? –, to see and be seen. And to partake in a famous aspect of the French joie de vivre, sipping a glass of wine, at the cocktail reception thrown by the Ile de France French Film Commission and Variety, before the screening of “Tete de Turc”.

Happy I don’t need subtitles to watch French films, I couldn’t help to let out a slightly indignant shout when catching the translation of the film’s title: “Turk’s Head”. So off! It’s kinda a play of words in French, and hard to literally translate into English. But in case you’re wondering … the closest it gets is “Bone Head”.

PERSIST

Reading a definition in the Merriam-Webster dictionary: “to go on resolutely or stubbornly in spite of opposition, importunity, or warning”. Does that reflect in many ways my personality? Must admit.

It is also the title of a new book by Peter Clothier: “Persist, in praise of the creative spirit in a world gone mad with commerce.” His latest book is a collection of essays, written over the past thirty years, addressing in a variety of ways the predicament of the artist in a cultural climate in which celebrity and established commercial track record too often count for more than talent and quality of work.

I attended a lecture this weekend by the author and writing coach at Arena 1 Gallery. What struck me is that he is against the “artist statement”. Just “do it”, and be persistent with your “personal, creative practice”, says Peter.

Wouldn’t call it an artist statement per se, yet Michele D. Lee “began a serious pursuit of painting to relieve the stress and tension that accompanies her high powered job”. Since her work, figurative abstracts of moving nudes, inspired by dancers, resonates with me, I dropped by The Happening Gallery where Michele is part of a group show, on Saturday eve. We exchanged some interesting thoughts about the energy emerged from dancing and creating art.

Shifting the artistic palate to an oenological one, with a nice wine tasting and good conversation on a beautiful deck overviewing the ocean, to end a motivational weekend.

To persist through creativity, cheers to that!

The Process of Reinvention

On this sunny day I met with my friend Barbara for a walk on the beach. She lives most of the time in Mexico and I hadn’t seen her in over a year. Her creativity flows in several directions: actress, documentary filmmaker, teaching theater and mind/body energy workshops, to name a few. She also has that “bohemian” fire in her.

We talked about our challenges and struggles in life right now. Barbara verbalized some very interesting philosophical insights. To be added to my list of (daily) positive affirmations. Well, her uplifting energy created good karma. Encouraging voicemail and email awaited me back home.

This evening, I ventured to a well hidden treasure, “The Urban Craft Center” on Main Street, for a book signing and art exhibit by Michael de Meng. Love the title of his book, “Dusty Diablos”. De Meng discussed the philosophy of transforming landfill-bound junk into rustic and mysterious works of art. Michael revealed some of the secrets of his unique process of reinvention, as well as the inspiration behind his strange and demented artwork.

Creative approach of reinvention and transformation, the way to go!

Creating the Venice Labyrinth Park

This afternoon I rode my bike a few blocks down to meet with artist Robin Murin and see the Labyrinth Park she is creating on the corner of 6^th and Juan here in Venice. Very intriguing...

Robin is the founder of “Venice Public Art”. It brings together creative and active individuals and businesses to beautify and build community ties through public art and green space projects throughout Venice.

The current project is transforming this blighted lot into a beautiful and fascinating neighborhood park with in-ground labyrinth. What a wonderful initiative! It combines art, environmental awareness, spirituality, in building community…

Everyone is invited to help create, on Tuesday, Thursdays and Saturdays from 11 am to 2 pm.

The big inaugural celebration of the Venice Labyrinth Park will take place on May 1, coinciding with the World Labyrinth Day and the Venice Garden & Home tour.

Swing by!

From Beckett, and the Bohemian Exchange to modern dance class

What keeps me going this weekend?

Yesterday’s evening Gerry Fialka’s “Messin’ with Beckett” at Beyond Baroque. A bizarre concoction of readings, music, a video of a “Waiting for Godot” play, a Bunuel-esk short silent film by Beckett featuring Buster Keaton (!), audience participation … absurd, not exactly uplifting my senses.

Looking forward to tonight’s first anniversary of the “Bohemian Exchange” on Abbot Kinney. Deborah’s cozy store carries cool, fun and colorful gypsy kinda clothing. Her warm heart and music by the Seventh Ray should incite the bohemian fire in me.

Can’t wait to attend Fannie’s modern/contemporary dance class tomorrow!

Mind, body, somatic connection: fall, release, suspend and expressing myself in true modern dance. That’s what I need! Fannie implements a unique combination of technique, body awareness and fun! At times she challenges you in an encouraging way... Her positive comments and energy are truly inspiring!

More info here: fanniekalis.blogspot.com