VINGT Paris Magazine

Bonom takes art to the skies: can graffiti be legal?

 Text: Rooksana Hossenally. Images: various.

No one really knows this mysterious chimpanzee who swings from building to building, spray cans and rollers at the ready. Like all superheroes, the artist who goes by the name of ‘Bonom’, wears a mask and never reveals his real identity. Scouring the city for large wall spaces, he prefers to work at night within the city’s shadows. One of Paris’ most respected 'clandestine' artists, Bonom is also one of the most prolific.

You may have seen his monumental works of intricate animal skeletons and other  creatures floating close to the sky  on the non-descript grey façades of various buildings. His works are dashed with an eerie quality making them instantly recognisable. Most are found in the 11th district of Paris; if you look up at number 123, rue Vielle du Temple in the Marais, you will see his enormous, somewhat gory, boar on a spit (pictured above). For his minotaur you’ll have to go to rue de la Traversière towards Ledru Rollin. As for the myriad fish bones and other animal figures, we won’t spoil the surprise; they will without doubt jump out at you from hidden corners when you least expect it. The artist is also very present in Brussels and Luxembourg but little else is know about him. Footage filmed by a Belgian television channel, shows him at work on a ten storey building - the scale of the piece alone makes it one of the most impressive of his works. In addition to his artistic skill, he is also nifty at climbing and abseiling, enabling him to reach the most difficult spots well away from City Hall's cleaning squads.

Paris the Hot Spot for Fall

Text and Image: Aran Cravey             

Late upon arrival and now, it appears, early to depart, summer’s graces seemed to have slipped by Paris with out even a merci or an au’revoir.

But not to fret, art fans! September brings with it a bevy of hot museum and gallery exhibitions to make you forget summer’s chilly demeanor.

All the buzz among the contemporary art market insiders is that Paris is set to be the new… well, Paris. What with entrepreneurial mega-art dealer Larry Gagosian opening what will be his 9^th gallery world-wide, just off the Champs-Élysées during FIAC, Paris’ October contemporary art fair, it would appear that the city is making a revival as a new force in the international art market. Gauging by the powerhouse programs galleries have planned for fall, Paris is more than prepared to meet the challenge.

For the next two weeks, galleries across town will be flooded with frenzy, as collectors, dealers, artists and enthusiasts return from their holiday hibernations eager to mix, mingle and see what new creations await. Galleries throughout Beaubourg and the Marais will be opening their doors this Saturday evening September 4^th, with an exciting selection of contemporary talent.

L'Alhambra

Text: Nick Forrester

A quiet street around the corner from the Canal Saint Martin. A few up-market restaurants, trendy shops and bobo boutiques as well as a job agency, a workers union and a few ateliers that never seem to open; here lies the Alhambra. Not much goes on on in the daytime apart from kids smoking outside the Lycée a few doors down.

The atmosphere tends to change however when there’s a show in town but this is only five to fifteen times a month, so most of the time all is quiet but the infrequent performances stand out. Primarily a music venue, but sometimes moonlighting as a theatre the Alhambra attracts everything from Jazz Manouche to Electro. Previous performers include Calvin Harris, Dick Rivers and Sophie Huriaux.

The crowd that each artist attracts is particularly conspicuous. One hot July afternoon Japanese megastar Gackt arrived in town with his band Yellow Fried Chickenz to play to a packed Alhambra audience. Throughout the afternoon this normally chic and subdued area was transformed, by way of a significant amount of pink hair dye, knee length Dock Martins and long leather jackets, into Paris’ first punk arrondissement.  

Normandie Impressioniste: A Festival of Light and Inspiration

                                                                 
Text: Aran Cravey  In 1863, the artistic powers that be slammed the salon doors in the faces of those who would ultimately go on to change the face of art. What the Paris art elite lost, the rest of world gained, as Manet, Pissarro and those who followed redefined painting with their impressions and, according to most art history books, started the wheels turning for an artistic revolution. 

But, according to art historian Jacques-Sylvain Klein, it took more than a rejection letter to bring about a revolution. In fact, it was the capricious skies above Normandy that helped inspire a new approach to painting and a new way of thinking about art. 

Parce Que l'Art Est Une Fête!

Text: Aran Cravey

Indeed, art is a party this summer in Normandy! France's northern province pulls out all the stops in celebration of artists, both young and old.
From summer's start, Normandy has been highlighting its inspirational role as muse for one of (if not, the) greatest transformation of modern era art.

Normandie Impressionniste is a festival not to be missed, and luckily, it will be continuing through the month of September.  As lofty as its reputation as art muse may be, Normandy has not forgotten its humble, youthful beginnings.  This weekend in the coastal town of Cabourg, seven young photographers will be at the center of attention for what promises to be an exciting artistic exploration, as well as, one heck of a party!

Aragon et l'Art Moderne

Text: Kay Roberts  Louis Aragon had a long life. Born in 1897, he died in 1982 at the age of 85.
‘Aragon et l'art moderne,’ the exhibition currently on display at the Musée de la Poste is a necessarily selected survey from a long career as a poet, novelist, journalist and long-time friend and collaborator to some of the 20th century’s most celebrated artists.
Divided into three time periods, the show is a snap shot of Aragon's participation in the political alliances and artistic movements of the era, as illustrated through his paintings and publications.
The show highlights Aragon’s work during his involvement with the 'intellectual transformation of Dada' from cubism and fauvism to surrealism. Aragon, along with writers and fellow French Communist members Paul Éluard, Andre Breton and Philippe Soupault, explored the boundaries of experimental writing, taking the absurdity of Dadaism into a realm that became known as Surrealism.

Visa Pour l'Image 2010

Text Brendan Seibel - Summer has been an absolute disgrace and you have every right to be disgruntled about grey skies and frequent downpours. If you're contemplating one last attempt to squeeze a little vacation out of this dismal season Perpignan is the destination. Photographers and fans from around the world are descending on this Mediterranean town for the 22nd Visa Pour l'Image festival.

Two weeks of roundtables, exhibitions and special events will feature some of today's best photojournalists. Professionals are discussing this year's banner topic: the consequences of an increasingly digitized and altered photographic landscape. Others may want to stop in at Elle Magazine's roundtable on the portrayal of women, debates on rights and orphan works, or any of the digital media workshops being hosted.

Several journalists will be presenting their works including Michael Nichols (National Geographic), Paolo Pellegrin (Magnum), Brent Stirton (Getty) and Ziv Koren (Polaris). Nightly screenings are being held in the majestic courtyard of Campo Santo where tributes will be paid to Willy Ronis, Gilles Caron and Dennis Stock, along with the year's highlights and features on South Africa, Haiti, the Korean War and more.

Jardin de Shakespeare Open Air Theatre

Text: Nick Forester

Back in 1857, in the years following the foundation of the Bois de Boulogne as a public park, a small open-air theatre, the Théâtre de Fleurs, was founded. 

Over the following century the theatre encountered various problems with heightened competition and fell in to disrepair with the arrival of the First World War. Fortunately though, there remains a theatre on the same site today. 

The Jardin de Shakespeare was founded in 1953, with help from the Amis de la France and the then chief of Paris' public gardens and parks, Monsieur Joffet.

The theatre is set in the Pré-Catelan area of the park and has five small gardens, each named after a Shakespearean play. It hosts both French and English language productions in the Spring and Summer months, with London's Tower Theatre Company visiting every June since 1992.