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Mia Funk: Meta Art

Nuavecabacus 2012 © Mia Funk, acrylic, gouache, antique wallpaper

Images: Mia Funk                                        
Text:  Susie Kahlich 

Talking to the artist Mia Funk is a slightly unsettling experience, like being surprised by fizz in a drink you thought was flat.  It’s a bit of a shock at first, but then you realize it’s a pleasant shock and yes, you will have another glass of that, please.

And that’s how it is with Ms. Funk. Very direct and extremely articulate, she throws you right off balance the second she starts speaking, but leaves you wanting more.  An Irish-German Chinese-American, she physically resembles the Chinese side of her family but, although born and raised in Seattle, her 10 years in Ireland and over a decade in France has inflected her American vocabulary with a hybrid accent that comes across as vaguely German. 

And for all her intensity and intelligent observations about art, history, film, pop culture and literature, there exists an underlying social satire that is dark and deliciously addictive yet playful, like a soda designed by Edward Gorey: exotic and mysterious, probably poisonous, but delightful nonetheless.  In other words, an unexpected fizzy drink.

Paris' Alternative Nightlife

Text: Rooksana Hossenally
Image: Hip House

Needless to say that Paris doesn’t quite have a bustling nightlife to rival London or New York, but it does have its fair share of quirky and traditional bars, restaurants and cabarets, as well as a number of alternative arty music events in venues all over the city. Popular with the capital’s ‘in’ crowd, venues like La Bellevilloise and La Maroquinerie in the 20th, Point Ephémère in the 10th, Glaz’Art in the 19th and Mains d’Oeuvres at Porte de Saint-Ouen are experiencing a rise in popularity, and it’s not hard to see why. The events held at these venues often combine art and music in quirky unusual spaces that have quickly become the place to be seen, especially for those of you dying to be part of the Paris Boho scene!

La Bellevilloise boasts a 2000m2 surface area divided up into five different spaces: the Loft and Forum, used for art exhibitions; La Halle aux Oliviers (The Olive Tree Hall), the venue’s restaurant, where art is also displayed and where concerts are held; the Club, which welcomes a range of bands from both ends of the spectrum and anywhere in between;  and the Screening Room, where films and video installations are projected. You could easily see anything from a Jazz sound system to a band of musicians dressed like Canadian gypsies banging out Irish folk music. 

 

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.  

France’s Young Artists: Alive and Kicking - Portes Ouvertes 2010 Beaux-Arts

Text and image of Beaux-Arts interior by Aran Cravey

From Delacroix and David, to Monet and Renoir, the list of great artists to emerge from the ateliers of Paris’s École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts spans the length of the prestigious institution’s 350-year history.

Established under the reign of Louis XIV, the Académie de Beaux-Arts was created to train France’s young artists to become the best and brightest in all of Europe.  Over the next several hundred years it did just that, attracting the world’s most gifted creative minds with its classical training and rigorous curriculum.

However, since the latter half of the twentieth century, the art world has come to view Beaux-Arts, as well as Paris, for that matter, as nothing more than anachronisms, artistic dinosaurs concerned only with preserving the glory of their past. Judging from the work exhibited over the weekend at the École des Beaux-Arts’s student showcase, the Portes Ouvertes, France’s critics may need to reassess.

Jim Haynes' Legendary Paris Salon

Text and images Susie Hollands - from our archives, a post from back in the day, 2005 

That famous address. The one and only Jim Haynes. I stop by to pick up virgin copies of the Jim's "People to People" books. Jim and I chat about Dorothy Parker and I am reminded that I still need to read Tropic of Cancer by Henry Miller (I've caught up now). Here he is with a filing cabinet of his address filo-faxes containing the names and addresses of fascinating souls from all over the globe.  Who just happened to stop by his home in Paris.  More than 100 000 of them.

It's funny to think how many times I have been at Jim's, researching topics, picking his brains, listening to tales of intrepid reporting from the Cannes Film Festival in the 70's. How often I've been at the Sunday night dinners, sometimes paying, sometimes for free (thanks Jim) when I was skint and/or involved in making food for the guests, including one fateful time - Lentil Stew for 100 people with Whitey Flagg (with whom I opened the I V Y paris gallery).

International Bar

Text: Joel Ma

Image: Julien Horon

For those who acquaint themselves with a city by the pulse of its live music, Paris can leave the average punter a little cold. Openied in 2008 and located close to Rue Oberkampf, in the heart of the 11th arrondisment, The International Bar is something of a revelation for the local Parisian live music scene. It hosts two bands a night, every night of the week, completely free of charge with relatively cheap drinks and a laid back atmosphere. The music runs the gamut from rock, electro, folk, pop and world and still manages to maintain a distinctly cool DIY attitude and Indie swagger.

The crowd is as eclectic as the music styles but is becoming increasingly popular with young dressed down hipsters, students and ex-pats. Most come for the 4 euro pints at happy hour (finishing at 9pm) and stay on for the free live music. The bar stays open until 2am during the week and until 4am on the weekends. After the bands finish, DJ’s play an eclectic mix of everything from Prince to Joy Division to Lauren Hill.

Le Centquatre – Artistic Establishment of the City of Paris

Text by Tiffany Tang
Photo by Edouard Caupeil

Developed as one of the cultural projects by the Mairie de Paris with the vision of reviving the city’s contemporary art scene, Le Centquatre – its name taken from the street number 104, Rue d'Aubervilliers - is an artistic hub for up-and-coming artists sharing creation space and synergy, under the glass ceiling of recently restored unique nineteenth century architecture. Situated in a humble neighborhood of the nineteenth arrondisement the former funeral parlour, was re-opened in October 2008 after its 100 million euro renovation. Currently led by the two directors Robert Cantarella and Frédéric Fisbach, Le Centquatre aims to provide a space where art and culture interact with the public without barriers.

Point Ephémère on Canal St Martin

Text and image by Will Best

If you allow yourself to meander down the Canal St Martin, you’ll stumble upon the industrial outer body of artistic haven Point Ephémère.  Once a factory, Point Ephémère now buzzes to a bohemian vibe thanks to the foresight and community based initiative from Usines Ephémère, the non-profit organisation overseeing the goings-on. The space includes 5 music studios, one dance studio, a fabric workshop, a multimedia platform and four visual art studios for artistic residence activities.  Professional and amateur artists, dancers, musicians or even large installation specialists are invited to apply for in-house residencies of up to six months, where hard to acquire materials and specialist tools are at hand to render the careful process of developing an oeuvre. 

Jean-Michel Frank at Fondation Pierre Bergé - Yves Saint Laurent

Text by Christopher Holt

The little-known Fondation Pierre Bergé - Yves Saint Laurent was created to preserve the 40-year legacy of YSL’s iconic couture house, which closed in 2002. The most recent show highlights the work of interior designer Jean-Michel Frank.

The exhibition consists of five separate furniture sets with pieces from the early 1920s to late 1930s. Three of these sets are featured in a single room and stand out for their sleek, minimal styling and striking use of materials such as of shagreen (sting ray leather), intricate straw marquetry and mica tiling. He used rich leather upholstery from Hermés, creating an affect that is both modest yet luxurious. Although his work clearly echoes the art-deco aesthetic of the period, it transcends the era through it's understated simplicity, appearing just as modern and relevant today.

Groundzero: The Best Independent Record Store In Paris

Will Hutchins writing for I V Y paris

If you’ve failed in your bid to find that Senegalese 1969-1972 funk rarities compilation you’ve been searching for in your local Fnac, or the Virgin Megastore on the Champs Elysées didn’t have a vinyl copy of the new Au Revoir Simone album in stock, then you’ll have better luck at 23 rue Saint Marthe in Belleville.

This hidden treasure of a record store has a superb stash of independent music on vinyl and cd from around the world to get the taste buds of any discerning pop music fan watering.

Catering for the album loving anorak, Groundzero don’t bother with stocking the classics and instead just keep it to a well chosen selection of the latest and most interesting indie, reggae, soul, funk, African, hip-hop, jazz, blues and electro releases and re-editions. From compilations of West African music in 1920’s Britain to the latest SoMe designed Ed Banger picture disc single the shop keeps their collection intriguingly diverse but always high quality.