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What's on in Barcelona, Events Guide December 2008
Barcelona events listings provided by www.athome-barcelona.com
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Despite the Christmas and New Year slowdown, December still has plenty to offer for concert goers in Barcelona, with a wide variety of acts playing during the month. In chronological order, the stars to grace a multiple of stages across the city are the legendary Skatalites, The Faint, Swedish black metal legends Opeth supported by the re-emergent Cynic (14 years between albums??), Ismael Serrano, Genesis P.Orridge with PTV3 (previously known as Psychic TV), Ron Sexsmith, Bulldozer, Ladyhawke, Gogol Bordello, Butthole Surfers, Giant Sand, Mark Lanegan and Isobel Campbell, International Noise Conspiracy, Asian Dub Foundation and Kill Me Later. As usual, everything you need to know can be found at www.barcelonarocks.com
From the 7th until the 23rd of December you can catch the 10th anniversary of the Grans del Gospel, Barcelona’s international Gospel Festival, and the largest celebration of Gospel music in Catalunya. Featuring some of the world’s most celebrated Gospel choirs, including the Mississippi Gospel Choir who perform at the Palau de la Música on the 10th, New Orleans opera singer Bridget Bazile will join together with the Moonwalk Singers to pay homage to black spiritual music on the 11th, and you can also enjoy the latest production from the Escalat Gospel Singers -From Roots to Heaven -, a journey between African and Afican-American culture, on the 12th. Cor Gospel Carlit, Spain’s oldest Gospel choir, will be celebrating their twentieth anniversary with a special concert at the Auditori. For more information visit www.theproject.es
Currently showing at La Pedrera is an exhibition titled Construction of the Future, which brings together 250 artworks, including drawings, paintings, spatial constructions, photomontage, photocollage, photographs and designs by the artist Aleksandr Rodchenko. He was one of the most important names in, and one of the most multifaceted artists of, avant-garde art in the 20th century. Rodchenko was a painter, sculptor, photographer, and graphic designer, who explored object-less painting, formed part of the constructivist movement in post-revolutionary Russia and was a pioneer of Soviet photography. Admission is free.
Attention all petrolheads: from the 4th until the 8th of December, Auto Retro celebrates its 25th anniversary at the Fira de Barcelona in Plaça Espanya. There will be an incredible selection of more than 300 exhibitors from 17 different countries. Displaying a diverse array of exhibits featuring aviation, boats, motorcycles, and of course, all things automobile. The guest of honour will be the Porche 356 as the brand celebrates its 60th birthday, along with the Citroën 2CV, and Ford, in recognition of its centenary year. For motorcycle enthusiasts, the history of motorcycle trials in Spain is celebrated, featuring some of the most emblematic Spanish bikes in the sport’s history, including Montessa, Bultaco and Gas Gas. The Retro Aviation stand will be converted into a reconstruction workshop, where you’ll be able to see the painstaking reconstruction of a German 1934 Bücker 131 Jungmann biplane. Admission is an affordable 15€, and full details are available at www.autoretro.es
At Caixaforum, continuing throughout December, is an exhibition entitled Alphonse Mucha (1860-1939): Seduction, Modernity and Utopia which aims to provide an in-depth review of the artist's work. Mucha was one of the main creative forces behind the Art Nouveau style, one which he used to perfection in developing his highly effective iconography, an essential element in the birth of modern advertising. His fame was mainly based on his theatrical, advertising and decorative posters, usually depicting intriguing women. His relationship with celebrated actress Sarah Bernhardt didn't hurt his reputation either.
At La Fundació Foto Colectania The Laurence Miller Collection of international photography has a particular focus on North American work. Among the artists represented are Aaron Siskind, Ray Metzker, Helen Levitt, Lee Friedlander and Harry Callahan, who form part not only of the collector's private collection but also part of his own biography: Miller had, has established an intense and fruitful personal relationship with all of them. This exhibition will be open until early January.
The 2008/2009 season at the Picasso Museum has begun, and saw the opening of a new exhibition last month. Living things: Picasso Figure/Still-Life presents a special selection of 80 works by Picasso made between 1907 and 1933 and studies for the first time the artist’s ability to move his art between the worlds of the living and the dead. Through transforming the signs that he uses in his work, Picasso is able to render figures as simple objects whilst at the same time offering us objects that appear to be full of life. The programme will also include the first retrospective in Spain devoted to the work of Dutch artist Kees van Dongen and a selection of Picasso's prints on erotic themes in dialogue with Japanese prints of the nineteenth century.
At CCCB, showing until February, is an exhibition titled In the Chinese City: An Exploration of an Empire's Transformation. Based on the presentation of archaeological documents, artworks, models, archival images and contemporary creations, the exhibition is composed of 12 independent spaces linked to a Chinese word, concept, or city and the main characteristics thereof. Other spaces are dedicated to thematic concepts such as Water, Earth, Feng Shui, Character, Garden, and Construction/Destruction. Within this context cinema has an important role to play, and five Chinese film-makers provide insights on the 5 cities highlighted in the exhibition.
The Joan Miró Foundation presents American Modern, an exhibition selected by Sarah Newman, Sarah Cash and Philip Brookman, curators at the Corcoran Gallery in Washington, D.C., and by Martina Millà, programmes and projects coordinator at the Foundation. The Corcoran Gallery is one of the three oldest galleries in the US, and focuses on historical and contemporary american art with an extensive collection from the last three centuries that contains works by many of the United States' greatest artists. The collection on show at the Miró Foundation explores the complex emergence of modern art in the United States through more than 100 works by American artists from the late nineteenth century to the end of the twentieth century.
The Collection showing at Fundación Francisco Godia is a collection of two hundred and sixty pieces of medieval, Baroque, modernist, 19th and 20th century art, as well as a selection of ceramics. The stars of the collection are the romantic virgins, La Virgen de la Leche and La Maria Magdalena from Jaume Huguet, La Piedad de Alejo by Vahía, the works of Luca Giordano and Zurbarán and the modern creations of Sorolla, Nonell, Mir, Casas, Gimeno, Picasso, Miró, Tàpies, Barceló and an exterior installation created by Cristina Iglesias.
The Giggling Guiri have another venue for this months headline act, moving to the more spacious Tradicionarius, where comedy fans will be entertained by Ardal O'Hanlon. Ardal is one of the funniest men ever to grace a stage, although he is probably best known for his iconic portrayal of Father Dougal in the Father Ted series. He plays on the 12th, doors open at 10pm, but you can be certain that tickets for this are going to sell out long before the event, so book in advance to avoid disappointment. Thanks to the success of the Logan Murray workshops and open mic nights Giggling Guiri have launched a new event: on December 1st, and regularly thereafter, The Comedy Cellar begins in Ryans Paradis, formerly known as The Wooden Spoon. It will be a nurturing ground for new talent, with stand-up, open slots, and improv, and the inaugural night is a ridiculously cheap 5€ in, and that gets you a drink too! Doors open at 9pm. Visit www.comedyinspain.com for prices and curtain times.
As we head towards the winter break, FC Barcelona have the opportunity to consolidate their advantage at the top of La Liga. Currently leading by 4 points, the blaugranas have three important games, home against Valencia on the 7th and against Real Madrid on the 14th, before they travel to Villareal on the 21st. In between they play the final group game in the Champions League, home to Shaktar Donetsk on the 9th with the luxury of knowing that they have already qualified and their top spot is assured. Espanyol, meanwhile, are having a torrid time of it, having lost their last four games. Currently in 17th, and just 1 point above the drop zone, they have only one more home game before the break, a difficult one against Atletico Madrid. Survival must be their main ambition at this point, but they are still going strong in the Copa del Rey (which they won in 2006), and might fancy a decent run as they will avoid all the strong teams - Real Madrid and Villareal have been knocked out, and Barcelona, Valencia, Sevilla and Atletico are all in the opposite side of the draw.
The contents of this feed may be used by anyone, but a link back to www.athome-barcelona.com would be nice. Should anyone have any event they feel is worth including, please contact us at marketing at athome-barcelona dot com and we will be happy to oblige.
Tony Deegan, December 2008 |
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