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Vol 2, No 5
7 February 2000 |
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E V E N T S: Coming up in the US Karen M Laun Upcoming Central and East European events in the US over the next few weeks include a traveling exhibit of art from the Baltic countries and special film screenings at the Czech Center in New York, as well as other Polish, Estonian and Ukrainian events. In this week's Coming Up section we have:
Click on the appropiate heading or just scroll down to browse.
Traveling Baltic Art Exhibition
An unprecedented exhibition of contemporary paintings and sculpture from the three Baltic nations will be touring five major US cities beginning in January. Starting in New York and Washington before continuing to Chicago, Houston and Dallas, The US-Baltic Foundation will present 67 works of art representing 43 contemporary painters and sculptors from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. The Baltic Art Exhibition will hold its world premiere with a gala benefit at New York's National Arts Club (15 Gramercy Park South) on 25 January, where it will be on display until 12 February. From New York, the exhibition will travel to Washington, DC, where the exhibition will be hosted in the IMF's gallery (700 19th Street, NW) March 9 through April 8. The exhibit was organized by Hamid Ladjevardi, a New York-based fund manager specializing in Baltic investments. Barbara Crane, an artist and curator of the Baltic Art Exhibition, chose a broad spectrum of paintings and sculptures, encompassing styles from representational to neo-expressionist to abstract. Be sure to visit this extraordinary exhibit when it comes to a city near you! More information about this exhibit can be found on the website of the Latvian Embassy.
Photography Bohdan Holomíček Exhibit
The Leica Gallery in SoHo is presenting an exhibit of photographs by Bohdan Holomíček, born in 1943 in Sienkiewiczowka, a Czech village in Ukraine, under German control at the time. He began taking photos as early as age six, documenting his family and the simple farming life in his community. It was not until 1994 that Holomíček took up photography full-time, still presenting everyday Czech life in an almost mystical, fairy-tale way, combined with tones of melancholy. This exhibit can be seen Tuesday through Friday, 11 am to 6 pm, and Saturday, noon to 6 pm. Art Projekt Praha 2000
Projekt Praha 2000, a unique exhibit by Washington-based photographer Chad Wyatt, presents portraits of remarkable personalities in the Czech Republic's art scene over the last decade. While many remarkable works of art have left their marks on history, we often have little information on the artists who created them. Wyatt's photographs map an entire generation active on the contemporary Czech art scene, creating a first-of-its-kind historical marker. The exhibit opening is at 7:30 pm at the Czech Embassy and features Karel Růžička on saxophone. It will be open through August, weekdays 9 am to 5 pm and during events. Film The Sweet Century
The Czech Center, under the auspices of Marcela Galušková, wife of H E Vladimír Galuška, ambassador, permanent representative of the Czech Republic to the United Nations, is presenting a special screening of The Sweet Century (1998), directed by acclaimed documentary filmmaker Helena Třeštíková. In this work, four female former political prisoners recall their terrible experiences. The recollections are interspersed with period footage of political and social life in Czechoslovakia beginning with the interwar period, followed by the WWII German occupation and then the Communist regime. Helena Třeštíková studied directing at the Prague Film Academy. Since 1972, when she began her professional career, she has made some 30 documentaries focusing on relationships and social problems. Two of Třeštíková's major projects are: Studies of Marriage (1987), for which she followed seven couples through six years of marriage, and Tell Me Something About Yourself (started just before November 1989), tracking the lives of juvenile delinquents. There will be a discussion with special guests following the screening. Click here for a Kinoeye review. Video Thursdays at the Czech Center:
This film, an unforgettable record of the Communist era and some say Kachyňa's finest hour, was locked away in the vault by censors immediately upon its completion and remained there until the collapse of Communism in 1989. A deputy minister and his wife have been invited to a government reception. They are accustomed to constant surveillance, but tonight something more sinister is afoot. Realizing that his post is in jeopardy, the husband begins to panic. Over the course of the evening, his arguments with his wife expose both a serious crisis in their marriage and the inescapable nature of their situation. The ubiquitous "ear" listens and records. Jiřina Bohdalová and Radoslav Brzobohatý both give gripping performances in the leading roles. Jiří Menzel Film Retrospective
The Czech Center New York has been presenting a traveling retrospective of Czech New Wave director Jiří Menzel's greatest films to audiences across the country since September 1999. So far, the Jiří Menzel Film Retrospective has made stops in Montreal, Cleveland, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Portland and Santa Fe. Featuring Menzel's best films over the last thirty years, the retrospective gives film lovers a rare glimpse of the body of work of one of Europe's foremost filmmakers. In February, film-goers can catch such films as the famous Closely Watched Trains, My Sweet Little Village and Larks on a String, which was banned by the Communist authorities for 21 years. For theater location and film schedule see below: Toronto
Cinematheque Ontario
Friday, 18 February
Saturday, 19 February
Tuesday, 22 February
Wednesday, 23 February
Thursday, 24 February
Friday, 25 February
Saturday, 26 February
For more information about Jiří Menzel, Video Thursdays and other films presented by the Czech Center, visit their website. Postponed:Bohumil Hrabal Evening
In conjunction with the Jiří Menzel Film Retrospective, the Czech Embassy is sponsoring several special events about the director's favorite author, Bohumil Hrabal. Among the most important and popular Czech writers of the 20th century, Bohumil Hrabal has had nearly three million copies of his works printed in his native land and has also been translated into 27 foreign languages. More of Hrabal's novels and stories have been adapted for the screen than any other Czech authors, perhaps the most internationally renowned of them being Jiří Menzel's version of Closely Watched Trains, which received the 1967 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. This evening, which celebrates the 85th anniversary of Hrabal's birth, features readings from the author's most well-known texts by members of Scena Theatre, as well as the opening of an exhibit devoted to his life and work. The evening is organized in collaboration with Politics and Prose Bookstore, which will offer Hrabal's books in English translation at the event. Bohumil Hrabal Exhibit
Following the special evening of readings from Bohumil Hrabal's work, a new exhibit "Too Loud a Solitude" will be on display at the Czech Embassy. This exhibit examines the life and work of this unusual Czech writer, from his birth on 28 March, 1914, through his sudden death on 3 February 1997. Open weekdays: 9 am to 5 pm. ...And More Czech and Slovak Culture in the US For more information on Czech and Slovak events in the US, look here and click on "Czech-Slovak." Also, check out the calendar of events at the Czech Embassy.
Music Erkki-Sven Tüür Concert 8 February
Estonian musician Erkki-Sven Tüür will be presenting his "Crystallisatio" in a concert in New York City. Born on the rural island of Hiiumaa, Tüür has achieved world recognition for his intriguing and dynamic classical and chamber music. This concert is definitely worth checking out if you're in the Tri-State area. Click here to read Mel Huang's article on Tüür.
Literature Tuwim in Philadelphia
Julian Tuwim: Utwory Nieznane is a new book of previously unknown works by Julian Tuwim (edited by Tadeusz Januszkiewicz of the Adam Mickiewicz Museum of Literature in Warsaw) which will be promoted at the Philadelphia International Institute. The book is composed of satire, youthful pieces, songs, articles and letters by the poet Julian Tuwim. This special event will include readings from Tuwim's work and an introduction by Alicja Jacyna and the publisher Wociech Grochowalski. Art Arthur Szyk Exhibit of World War II Era Prints and Drawing
The Library of Congress is celebrating the recent acquisition of several important original works by Polish American artist and illustrator Arthur Szyk (1894-1951) with an exhibition in the Swann Gallery entitled "Arthur Szyk: Artist for Freedom." Szyk, who was born in Lodz, Poland, achieved international prominence during World War II when he produced hundreds of anti-Axis illustrations and cartoons in support of the Allied war effort. Three of his most important original works of graphic Americana - The Declaration of Independence, Four Freedoms Prayer and Bill of Rights - are featured in the exhibition. The exhibit is open free of charge from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm, Monday through Saturday. More information on this exhibition is available through the Library of Congress website, by e-mailing: swann@loc.gov, or by calling Sara Duke, Curatorial Project Assistant, at (202) 707-9115 or Curator Harry Katz at (202) 707-8696.
Art Olensky-Petryshyn Art Exhibit
For more information on this exhibit e-mail the Ukrainian Institute or visit their website.
For information on Romanian events in the US, look up the calendar of events at the Romanian Embassy's website.
If you would like to list your upcoming Central or East European cultural event here, please e-mail us at uscomingup@hotmail.com Compiled by Karen M Laun
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