The artistry will be glittering at the second edition of the Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels Festival, which runs in London from 12th March to 8th April at the Royal Ballet and Opera, Sadler’s Wells, South Bank Centre and Tate Modern.
Following on from the hugely successful inaugural event in 2022, this iteration of the festival created in partnership with the world-famous French luxury jewellery company features 15 dazzling shows from a whole gamut of different cultures.
Taking place at iconic venues in our capital city, Dance Reflections showcases artists who, in the words of Catherine Renier, President & CEO of Van Cleef & Arpels, have specialised in, “Collaborations with prestigious partners, contributions to major choreographic events, support for emerging and touring artists… These various commitments, in keeping with the values of creation, transmission and education dear to the Maison, all meet the same objective of celebrating contemporary choreographic art.”
Including repertory works, dance workshops, artist forums and awareness-raising initiatives, all emphasising the connections between dance heritage and modern choreography, the festival highlights imaginative ways in which dancers have evolved exciting new…
A tribute to the work of one of the fundamental figures of French Modernist painting
After three years in the making, the Amar Gallery is bringing to London Hélène de Beauvoir: The Woman Destroyed, a unique exhibition featuring paintings and works on paper from the 1950s to 1980s by this French artist, crucial to the feminist movement. Often overshadowed in the past by her older sister, Simone – the groundbreaking […]
Despite being separated in time by nearly 200 years, Sigmar Polke felt a deep admiration for Francisco de Goya. The show at Museo del Prado, Sigmar Polke. Affinities Revealed, explores how the Spanish master influenced the work of the German painter, after he saw for the first time Goya’s Time and the Old Women in […]
Science Museum, Exhibition Rd, London SW7 2DD. 13th October 2021 - March 2022
Sebastião Salgado is an internationally renowned Brazilian social documentary photographer and photojournalist. He has travelled in over 120 countries and his work has featured in numerous press publications, books and exhibitions.
The current show at the Science Museum explores the rich diversity of the Amazon through Salgado’s photography. Famous for documenting the social and environmental issues facing the planet, his images investigate the dialogue between nature and humanity. With over 200 black and white pictures captured over seven years of criss-crossing the region, visitors get to discover one of the most unique environments on the planet through his expert eyes and connect with the places and peoples most at risk of climate change.
The exhibition includes an immersive soundtrack by Jean-Michel Jarre that brings the sounds of the rainforest indoors, as well as video interviews with indigenous leaders fighting to protect their home.
The different sections of the show take us through a wide array of topics photographed from unusual points of view: lush rainforests seen from river boats, waterfalls shot from far above, stormy skies and portraits of the diverse indigenous communities captured with the intensity that only Salgado can convey.
Before entering the exhibition, a film introduces visitors to the Amazon’s vital role in our global climate, the risk that it is approaching an irreversible tipping point and what can be done to prevent reaching that point.
The curator of the show, Lélia Wanick Salgado has artistically arranged many of the photographs hanging from the ceiling in such a way that one feels immersed in the rainforest. The arrangement is perfect to visualize “flying rivers”, a natural phenomenon whereby trees transport large quantities of water vapour into the atmosphere, thus contributing to the autonomy of the surrounding ecosystem.
Amongst this forest of suspended photographs are three structures evoking the homes of ten indigenous groups who live in and protect the Brazilian Amazon. In this section, Salgado presents intimate portraits and vivid images of the communities going about their daily lives, interspersed with video interviews with the native leaders working to protect their ancestral lands.
Mount Roraima, the tripoint of Venezuela, Guyana and Brazil; 5% of its mountain plateau lies in Brazil, 10% in Guyana and 85% in Venezuela.
In the final section of the exhibition visitors discover how the Salgados are working to protect the other Brazilian rainforest, the Mata Atlantica (Atlantic Forest) through the work of Instituto Terra, which they founded in 1998 on degraded land that they have slowly regrown. The Instituto now provides a home for endangered species, raises millions of tree seedlings in its nursery every year and trains young ecologists to help protect the region’s biodiversity for generations to come.
Amazônia is supported by Zurich Insurance Company Ltd (Principal Sponsor) and Natura &Co (Major Sponsor).
Following a COVID-19 hiatus, the Affordable Art Fair came home again to leafy Battersea Park for its 2021 edition. Known for displaying an array of contemporary galleries alongside exciting artworks by recent graduates, this year there is also a new experimental art installation to welcome attendees on arrival. For nearly 21 years Affordable Art Fair has provided a platform for the very latest in affordable, contemporary art to be showcased in a fun and friendly atmosphere. The 2021 edition did not disappoint.
As the autumn and cooler weather draws in, on my tour around the fair it was wonderful to witness how the artists approach colour in bold and beautiful ways and use creative methods to brighten up our days. Most impressive was the diversity of new talent in the Recent Graduate display, showcasing some of the brightest UK art school graduates of recent years. I was particularly taken with the charming work of Bokani Tshidzu and her methods across a variety of disciplines and media – including the use of gilt mirrors – to explore the visual experience of nature. Her use of depth and colour was mesmerising and to hear her speak about her passion around the environment and climate, along with her creative methods, was inspiring.
Bokani Tshidzu, Aquatic Light, combines computer imagery with contemporary abstract painting to offer new perspectives on themes of climate change and integral ecology.
Another offering from the graduate stand was Daisy Isles who uses colour as a tool to communicate her experiences and creates a collage-like aesthetic in her work. Her playful, direct approach to documenting interior spaces communicates her own experience of the everyday. The joyful and colourful paintings celebrate the mundanity of the domestic interior by isolating objects and depicting them as simple shapes in block colours. Colour clearly plays an essential role in her practices and ultimately, determines the feeling of her work.
“My work communicates a joy in ordinariness.”
– Daisy Isles
Daisy Isles, Cover.
A new concept and a must-see in this year’s fair was an interesting interactive, walk-through art installation entitled, Fluid Form, by artists Violeta Maya and Persiis Hajiyanni. The ambitious sculpture explores the transformative power of water, the protagonist of the installation alongside ice, light and sound. Commissioned by Martin Miller’s Gin, Maya and Hajiyanni created Fluid Form in response to a special open call to explore the theme of transformation, which is at the heart of the brand’s DNA and process of gin-making. It features a range of suspended ice sculptures that sporadically melt into beautifully hand-blown glass throughout the day, creating fascinating plays of light and shadow as you walk through the installation. The glass was blown at the La Real Fábrica de Cristales de La Granja, a palace which houses a historic glass factory that still uses traditional techniques. Surrounded by an array of billowing curtains, this was a peaceful oasis of calm amidst the vibrancy and excitement of the fair. The artists clearly wanted visitors to take their time absorbing the process and reflecting in their own thoughts. Persiis said, “The piece is aiming to offer a ‘slowdown moment’ in a crazy art fair environment.”
“Central to the artwork is the ice, which as it melts, distorts and impacts the light shining through the glass into the space…”
Above: Fluid Form installation by Violeta Maya and Persiis Hajiyanni. Below: Artists Violeta Maya and Persiis Hajiyanni putting the finishing touches on their installation.
Chloe McCarrick, one of the offerings from Mint Art Gallery was another of my favourites. She has created an eye-catching collection from mixed-media printmaking. There were many pieces of her work on display, but I was particularly drawn to the eye-catching visual narrative of female empowerment in her innovative ways of reworking photographic images through collage and mixed-media print techniques. Chloe tells the story of the lives of extraordinary trailblazing women – celebrating their achievements and uncovering their struggles by blending science, darkroom alchemy and art. There is also a real connection to the elements of nature in her work. McCarrick says “The key emotion is to feel connected – connected to the story, the techniques and the science behind the work; and to be connected to the elements of nature I introduce to explore human experience and the relationship between each of us and the world we live in.”
“The key emotion is to feel connected – connected to the story, the techniques and the science behind the work…”
– Chloe McCarrick.
Finally, as I am about to finish up my tour of the fair, I discovered the work of contemporary colourist painter Emily Powell at Livingstone St Ives gallery, which exhibits and sources contemporary art associated with Cornwall. Emily has a wonderful signature style of candy pop and acid colour combinations along with the use of characterful animals. Colour and creativity fill her paintings, which span diverse themes and engulf the viewer in a technicolour burst of life. Her work really represents all things bright and beautiful.
Emily Powell, Old Friend Leopard.
The amazing thing about this art fair is that it enables everyone to discover the joy of collecting original artworks. Prices range between £50 – £6,000 and the fair is packed with inspiring art to suit all tastes from over 100 UK and international galleries. With such a huge array of contemporary artworks, whether you’re looking for bold and bright or suave and subtle, larger than life or delicately detailed, one is clearly spoilt for choice!
Known for their adventurous approach to design, Hublot characterises itself through the “Art of Fusion” philosophy and as such, they are big supporters of young artists from all walks of life. The Hublot Design Prize gives the designers of tomorrow a chance to make a name for themselves. The Prize’s objective is to enable young talent to establish themselves through their creations, as well as expose them to a wider public.
Born from the on-going friendship between Hublot’s Chairman Jean-Claude Biver and Pierre Keller (former director of Lausanne University of Art and Design), the Hublot Design Prize was created in 2015 to celebrate the ten-year anniversary of the launch of their iconic Big Bang model. Ricardo Guadalupe, CEO at Hublot said about this initiative, “For us, the Hublot Design Prize is a reminder of where we have come from, the reasons for our success and a tribute to the designers and artists with whom we have worked. For a brand, a watch, a creative talent, there is always a key moment, an instant which provides the spark, which changes everything. The Hublot Design Prize is precisely this: a catalyst for talent, an opener of doors. For Hublot, design, and its transmission, is what drives us. The thing that makes sense, the thing which makes us.”
John experiments with Chinese materials and craftsmanship that he translates into contemporary design…
The Hublot Design Prize is open to designers from across the world whose work can be described as furthering innovation in design: experimental, pioneering, and integrating avant-garde techniques and materials or new technologies, whilst working towards an environmental and social goal.
A total of 20 entries were submitted by the member of the jury: Marva Griffin Wilshire, Hans Ulrich Obrist, Alice Rawsthorn, and the duo behind FormaFantasma. In a second round, eight finalists were selected: Ben Ganz –Isolarii Studio –Switzerland, lives in NYC; Christophe John – Germany, lives in China; Eva Fedlkamp – All in Awe – Germany; Federica Fragapane – Italy; Mohammed Fayaz – USA; Irakli Sabeka – Georgia; Thebe Magugu – South Africa; and Archibald Godts & Theresa Bastek – Studio Plastique – Belgium.
Hublot Design Prize 2021 winner Mohammed Iman Fayaz and Hublot CEO Ricardo Guadalupe.
After a very difficult judging process, the prize was awarded to Mohammed Iman Fayaz for his work, Independence of expression & cultural diversity and gender.
The “Pierre Keller Award” (doted with CHF15,000 for each winner) went to Eva Feldkamp and Federica Fragapane. The “Pierre Keller Award” goes both to Federica Fragapane and to Eva Feldkamp. Federica’s design process is characterized by a constant research into new ways of visualising urgent social, political and ecological issues. Eva’s work “All in Awe” is a catalyst to generate creative opportunities for social and environmental impact. Its mission is to design a system that connects creative professionals to charities, non-profits and the public sector.
Hublot Design Prize 2021 Pierre Keller Award winners: Eva Feldkamp and Federica Fragapane.
Banksy has arguably become the most popular graffiti artist of our time. Satiric and thought-provoking, this mysterious genius has been shocking and delighting society in equal measure for the last three decades.
This exhibition brings together over 70 original works gathered from private collections across the globe, including the rarely before seen Brace Yourself – featuring a dodgem riding Grim Reaper – alongside iconic favourites such as Girl with a Balloon and Rude Copper.
The Art of Banksy is the world’s largest touring exhibition of authentic Banksy artworks, featuring prints, canvasses, sculptures, screen prints and limited-editions mainly dated between 1997 and 2008. The producer of the show, Michel Boresma, said about Banksy, “An artist made by the people, for the people, and perhaps one of the most powerful artists of a generation.”
Banksy combines his dark humour and satirical wit with his unique stenciling technique to create powerful artworks that respond to current social and political issues…
In true Banksy style, The Art of Banksy is not authorised or curated in collaboration with the artist, and like the elusive man himself, the vast 12,000 sq ft underground exhibition space is hidden in plain sight, right at the heart of Seven Dials, Covent Garden.
Rude Copper was Banksy’s first print released in 2002 inspired by the 2000 Terrorism Act, which gave police officers the power to stop and search without suspicion…
The show has travelled to Melbourne, Amsterdam, Istanbul, Tel Aviv, Auckland, Toronto, Miami, Gothenburg and Sydney, welcoming over 750,000 visitors worldwide. Together with the art, visitors will enjoy reading some of the sharpest quotes by the enfant terrible of urban art, which to me are a great way to help get into his mindset and his view of society.
From the works on display, it is impossible not to be immediately drawn to the infamous Brace Yourself, which made headlines in 2010 when it was gifted by Banksy to a band, previously known as “Exit Through the Gift Shop”, in exchange for the rights to their name. The vast 245 x 182cm piece – one of the largest ever created by Banksy – has been mostly hidden away behind closed doors since its creation over a decade ago.
Banksy’s Brace Yourself has rarely been seen in public before this exhibition.
The Art of Banksy has partnered with nearby Mercer Street Hotel for a unique afternoon tea package that is available to round off a visit to the exhibition. For more information or to book tickets , visit: artofbanksy.co.uk
The Art of Banksy is supported by the global cryptocurrency company Luno. www.luno.com
Opening picture: HMV, by Banksy, early 2000s. Words: Julia Pasarón
It is not often that I get to read a book that makes me reconsider all the things I assume and take for granted in everyday life. Starting with the disconcerting statement that no knowledge is possible, in this book, Professor Fred Leavitt does exactly that from his position as a radical sceptic.
In If Ignorance Is Bliss, We Should All Be Ecstatic, Prof. Leavitt starts with a very simple, yet disturbing argument: nothing we think we know – NOTHING – is likely to be correct. Following the principles of radical scepticism, he explores the limitations of knowledge and argues that neither reasoning nor direct observation can be trusted because “not only are they unreliable sources, but they do not even justify assigning probabilities to claims about what we can know.” Whether answering the telephone, turning on the TV, talking with friends, or munching on an apple, we expect things to happen predictably. Radical scepticism is not new. This is a philosophical position that has intrigued philosophers since before the birth of Christ.
If your head is starting to hurt just by reading this, fear not, Prof. Leavitt’s writing is user-friendly, even when dealing with such complex issues. He supports abstract arguments with summaries of real-life examples from many and varied fields, which make the arguments much more convincing and compelling. He cites more than 200 studies from psychology, mathematics, chaos theory, quantum mechanics, evolutionary theory, history, the corporate world, politics, the military, and current news reporting. “I’m convinced that my reasoning is sound,” he states, “but would be happy if someone pointed out a flaw.”
18th-century philosopher Immanuel Kant argued that we are born with certain innate knowledge.
Well, although in my mind I can’t help but think that radical scepticism is more mental gymnastics than a formal way of reasoning, I have to admire Prof. Leavitt’s methodology and convincing argument. His analysis of the four pillars of knowledge: innate knowledge, religious faith, reason and last, empiricism, constitute the basis on which he builds his argument, taking the reader into a journey of exploration during which we are invited to question everything, from the way we think (inductive and deductive arguments for example) to all the tools we use in our reasoning to arrive at what we consider valid conclusions.
Prof. Leavitt puts special emphasis on empiricism, the belief that all knowledge is derived from sense-experience and shows us that actually, our sensorial perception is often fallible and distorted. I found it particularly interesting reading about how easy is to implant fake memories in anyone’s brain… not to mention manipulation of media, especially social media. He goes on to remind us that science is empiricism at its most sophisticated and that science and careful reasoning are often at odds with each other.
He spends some time explaining the mysterious world of Quantum Mechanics and even String theory… all of it to kind of make the point that the various ways we know of acquiring knowledge can’t really be fully trusted.
Quantum theory is the theoretical basis of modern physics that explains the nature and behaviour of matter and energy on the atomic and subatomic levels.
But you mustn’t think that this is a negative book or one inviting conspiracy theories, on the contrary, as the author states himself, “We live in a world of infinite possibility.”
Prof. Fred Leavitt has a PhD from the University of Michigan, has lectured psychopharmacology and research methodology at different Universities in the US and abroad for over 40 years. He is the author of six books.
The National Gallery, London. Trafalgar Square London WC2N 5DN
The National Gallery is bringing together five views of the fortress of Königstein for the first time in 250 years. These were painted by Bernardo Bellotto (1722–1780) at the peak of his career when he was a court painter in Dresden.
Once overlooked in favour of his uncle and master Canaletto, with whom he trained in Venice, Bellotto is today recognised as one of the most distinctive artistic personalities of his age. Born in Venice in 1722, he had a precocious talent and was accepted into the “Fraglia dei Pittori” at 16. Bellotto took the tradition of view painting in an entirely new direction, including the use of a camera obscura – the precursor of modern cameras – that helped him plan his compositions in minute detail.
This stunning exhibition shines a spotlight on the National Gallery’s 2017 acquisition, The Fortress of Königstein from the North (1756-8) – the first 18th-century German view to enter the Collection. August III (1696–1763), Elector of Saxony and King of Poland, commissioned these five paintings in about 1756 as part of a larger series of thirty views of Dresden and its surrounding.
Bernardo Bellotto, The Fortress of Königstein from the North, 1756–8
Bellotto received payment for the pictures in 1758 and, although completed, they were almost certainly never delivered to the elector due to the escalation of the Seven Years’ War. All five views were probably imported into Britain during Bellotto’s own lifetime and, until 1991, were to be found in three different British collections. Today, The Fortress of Königstein from the South is in The Derby Collection, Knowsley Hall, Merseyside (the collection from which the National Gallery’s own view of the fortress also came), Fortress of Königstein from the North-West is in The National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C, and both The Fortress of Königstein: Courtyard with the Brunnenhaus and The Fortress of Königstein: Courtyard with the Magdalenenburg are in Manchester Art Gallery.
The fortress of Königstein, which is situated approximately 25 miles south-east of Dresden, appears largely unchanged from Bellotto’s own time. Stand back and you can see the sharp, angular forms of the fortress but look closely and you can make out the crumbling stone walls, tiny soldiers on the ramparts and women hanging washing in the courtyard. Applying what he had learnt in Venice to highly original panoramic depictions of northern Europe.
As you move from one monumental view to the next, you will feel the sensation of walking around the fortress itself and will be able to appreciate the contrast between the fortress’s forbidding walls and the pastoral calm of its surroundings.
The Fortress of Königstein: Courtyard with the Magdalenenburg, 1756-8.
In the 1740s he travelled extensively around the Italian peninsula, producing views of various cities. He was called to Dresden in 1747, and the subsequent year was appointed Court Painter to Augustus III, King of Poland and Elector of Saxony, receiving the highest annual salary ever paid by that court to an artist. Following the escalation of the Seven Years’ War, Bellotto worked at the courts of Vienna and Munich, before returning to Dresden.
He spent the last 13 years of his life in Warsaw. Although 18th-century contemporaries appear to have had some difficulty distinguishing between Bellotto’s Venetian views and those of his uncle, Cannaletto, there are marked differences between their styles. Bellotto tended towards a silvery light, a cooler palette, and a greater sense of monumentality.
One of the most distinctive elements of Bellotto’s pictures is his use of impasto, particularly in the sky, where broad brushstrokes denote clouds and changing light on the horizon. Today, Bellotto is best known for his views of Northern Europe, and the views he painted for Augustus III during the first Dresden period mark the height of his achievements. Such was Bellotto’s precision that his late views of Warsaw played a crucial role in that city’s reconstruction after the Second World War.
Born in 1937 in Budapest, Dóra Maurer is probably the most iconic Hungarian artist alive. With a career that spans over five decades, Dóra has worked with almost every medium you could think of. As a teacher, she has inspired whole generations who recognise her as the most important influence in their careers.
Over her career, Dóra developed a strong international network, engaging with independent cultural communities which proactively promoted her work outside the official Hungarian system during the socialist period. Her work has been exhibited, recognised and celebrated around the world, including at the Tate Modern, which hosted the largest UK exhibition of the artist to date.
Mária Chilf presents the reality behind the ordinary and tries to evoke its nuanced unsearchable and unspeakable.
Mária Chilf- Mother/daughter, 2019. Stain photo cut on paper. 70 x 100 cm.
As a professor, Dóra Maurer shaped and influenced generations of artists from the 1970s to this day. Between 1987 and 1991, she was a guest professor of Visual Experiments at the College of Applied Arts in Budapest (today Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design). In 1990, she started lecturing at the Painting Faculty of the Hungarian Academy of Fine Arts. From 1998, Dóra taught at the Uiversy of Pécs and from 1999 at the Internationale Sommerakademie in Salzburg. Today, she is still an active member of the Hungarian Doctoral Council.
Artist Zoltán Szegedy-Maszák says about Maurer, “I can confidently say that I learned most from Dóra Maurer about how to relate to art, the affirmation of life and joy, humanity, and when it comes to art, mischief against the canon.”
Zoltán Szegedy-Maszák- We cannot see clearly, 2018. Lenticular print. 40 X 78 cm.
The exhibition Disciples of Dóra Maurer aims to present the richness of Hungarian art by showcasing artists who were disciples of Dóra and who work with diverse media and styles reflecting the democratic and open teaching style Maurer is known for.
The generation of Maurer has already been recognised by the international art market, however, artists stepping into the footsteps of their masters are still unknown to the international audience. This is why the Hungarian Cultural centre, along with its partners set on to organise this exhibition.
András Zalavári is the youngest artist in the exhibition. His work has been exhibited in Hungary, Austria, Germany, Italy and now, in the UK.
András Zalavári- Plane Tree Allée II, 2019. Photomontage. 80 x 110cm.
Artists featured: Mária Chilf, Márto Cserny, Attila Csörgő, Tamás Jovánovics, Barbara Nagy, Zoltán Szegedy-Maszák, András Wolsky, András Zalavári.
Disciples of Dóra Maurer 12 August – 19 September 2021 David Kovats Pop-up Gallery 28-32 Shelton St, London WC2H 9JE
One of Scotland’s most enduringly popular artists of the 20th century, Joan Eardley became famous for her portraiture of street children in Glasgow and for her landscapes of the fishing village of Catterline and surroundings on the North-East coast of Scotland.
Her artistic career had three distinct phases. The first was from 1940 when she enrolled at the Glasgow School of Art through to 1949 when she had a successful exhibition of paintings created while travelling in Italy. From 1950 to 1957, Eardley’s work focused on the city of Glasgow and in particular the slum area of Townhead. In the late 1950s, while still living in Glasgow, she spent much time in Catterline before moving there permanently in 1961. During the last years of other life, seascapes and landscapes painted in and around Catterline dominated her work.
An outsider to the mid-20th century male-dominated Scottish art world, Eardley frequently broke with tradition as a painter and in her personal life. Eardley’s Glasgow, the innocence of childhood and the dignity of human spirit despite the challenges of urban life, are central themes of the exhibition. Also presented in this exhibition by the Scottish Gallery are her works from Catterline, where her powerfully physical and technically innovative works explore the wild coastal landscapes of Northeast Scotland.
Joan Eardley became very popular for portraiture of street children in Townhead, Glasgow
Girl in Yellow Holding Baby, c. 1959-63, pastel drawing, 62.5 x 41.5 cm.
Unfortunately, Eardley’s career was cut short by breast cancer but there is no doubt that she left an indelible mark in the country’s art scene.
To accompany the exhibition The Scottish Gallery has created a beautiful, fully illustrated publication including a foreword by Anne Morrison-Hudson, the artist’s niece and additional text and insight by Guy Peploe, Lachlan Goudie and Professor John Morrison. Joan Eardley Centenary is supported by a series of online events, films, tours and talks, including the unveiling of a new tapestry in honour of this centenary year created by Dovecot Studios.
The Scottish Gallery.16 Dundas St, Edinburgh EH3 6HZ
Friday 30th July – Saturday 28th August 2021
Joan Eardley Exhibition Tour with Tommy Zyw: Tuesday 3rd August 2021, 11 am.
Words: Lavinia Dickson-Robinson
Opening picture: Grey Beach and Sky, 1962, oil on board, 56 x 107.5 cm. Pictures courtesy of The Scottish Gallery.
Despite the increased awareness of film-industry sexism spearheaded by the #MeToo movement, women still fall short in terms of representation in cinema. Indeed, back in April, Variety reported that female crew members are far from achieving parity with their male counterparts.
Shining a light on these advancements (while pushing towards further progress) is the Woman with a Movie Camera programme and annual summit. The series launched on International Women’s Day (8th March) 2016 with the aim of celebrating women’s contribution to film and TV, both behind and in front of the camera. What started as a monthly event at BFI Southbank has now grown to include a collection on BFI Player’s subscription service and an annual summit at BFI Southbank in June. This year it returns for a special online edition from 17th–18th July. Reflecting on the past year, the programme is focusing on revitalization and confidence, and upskilling and throwing open film and TV industry doors. The packed short film programme includes a variety of Q&As and panel discussions with filmmakers, curators and creatives, interactive talks and workshops.
Woman with a Movie Camera is just one part of the BFI’s ongoing commitment to a programme that re-appraises and celebrates women’s contribution to film and TV. Some recent seasons and events at BFI Southbank that have celebrated the work of women in the film include those dedicated to: Claire Denis, Agnès Varda, Joan Crawford, Jane Fonda, Hedy Lamarr, Angela Bassett, Muriel Box, Mable Normand and many more.
Launched in 2018, the Summit is not just about women in film but also about the wider discourse around feminism, gender and representation – a conversation that has been going on for decades and has recently been given a new platform and shape thanks to social media. Woman with a Movie Camera offered an opportunity for people to get together and talk about how this conversation is reflected within, as well as absent from, film.
Second Coming with Nadine Marshall (Jax) & Idris Elba (Mark).
The Woman with a Movie Camera programme focuses on helping women filmmakers, ensuring their work is seen on big and small screens. With screenings at BFI Southbank (the UK’s national cinematheque) and online via the BFI’s streaming platform BFI Player, movies are followed by Q&A sessions with the key women involved in the making of the film.
Heather Stewart, Creative Director BFI said, “The BFI has championed women filmmakers for nearly a century and Woman with a Movie Camera has galvanised women to both confront the challenges and barriers they face as filmmakers and spotlight overlooked directors of the past.”
The monthly series of events at BFI Southbank (of which there have been almost 50 so far), has welcomed a hugely diverse set of films – from previews and premieres of new work to classic films and rediscoveries. Special guests – and their films that screened during the series include Agnieszka Holland (A Woman Alone), Sarah Gavron (Suffragette), Alison Anders (Gas Food Lodging), Alice Lowe (Prevenge), Gurinder Chada (Bhaji on the Beach), Samantha Morton (The Unloved), Carla Simón (Summer 1993), Nelly Ben Hayoun-Stépanian (I Am (Not) a Monster), Carine Adler (Under the Skin), Haifaa Al-Mansour (The Perfect Candidate), Karyn Kusama (Girlfight), Billie Piper (Rare Beasts) and more.
Lena Dunham and Billie Piper at the screening of Rare Beasts, May 2021.
The British Film Institute, in partnership with Jaguar and Everyman Cinema have joined forces to bring to the public a series of independent film projects that celebrate women’s contribution to the film industry, both on and behind the camera. Apart from showing at BFI Southbank, a selection of Woman with a Movie Camera screenings will take place at Everyman Cinemas venues nationwide in an effort to bring independent filmmaking to a broader audience in 2021. Anthony Bradbury, Marketing Director, Jaguar Land Rover UK, said: “As a brand, Jaguar exists to help make life extraordinary; the role of film and cultural experiences that the arts provide, do just that. Our partnerships with BFI and Everyman Cinema help to celebrate the remarkable women in film, ensuring their work is showcased to as many people as possible.”
On International Women’s Day 2021, the BFI released a new series of introductions to films in the Woman with a Movie Camera collection on BFI Player available to subscribers (two-week free trial, then £4.99 a month). It features more than 60 films, all directed by women. The introductions from exceptional women working across the industry all reveal why they passionately feel their film is an essential watch; how it has influenced them, their lives and their careers. Introductions include:
• Actor Ruth Wilson (His Dark Materials) introduces Céline Sciamma’s coming-of-age tale Tomboy • Actor Natalie Dormer (Game of Thrones) selects the British coming-of-age drama Me Without You, directed by Sandra Goldbacher • Actor Susan Wokoma (Chewing Gum) introduces Prevenge, directed by and starring, Alice Lowe • Actor Lydia West (It’s a Sin) picks Debbie tucker green’s Second Coming • Perfect 10 director Eva Riley introduces Carine Adler’s Under the Skin •Actor Marli Sui (Anna and the Apocalypse) introduces Naomi Kawase’s Sweat Bean •Filmmaker Zeina Durra, who has recently directed Luxor, picksLucrecia Martel’s The Headless Woman • Film writer Hanna Flint introduces Clio Barnard’s The Arbour • Film writer Hannah Strong selects Andrea Arnold’s Red Road
Natalie Dormer (Game of Thrones) picked the British coming-of-age drama Me Without You, by Sandra Goldbacher.
The Woman with a Movie Camera collection comprises almost 60 inspirational and diverse films made by females from around the world, all focusing on women’s experiences. Highlights include:
• Jessica Hausner’s cool, witty sci-fi Little Joe, starring Emily Beecham and Ben Whishaw. • Appropriate Behaviour, a fearless comedy following the misadventures of a bisexual Brooklynite, directed by and starring Desirée Akhavan. • Joanna Hogg’s Unrelated, in which a fortysomething woman finds herself drawn to the company of a group of partying teens, including a young Tom Hiddleston. • The Idris Elba led family-drama Second Coming, directed by Debbie Tucker Green.
There are now around 500 films available to watch with a BFI Player subscription, ranging from contemporary to classic and cult. Many of them are grouped within collections to help guide film fans through this huge offer.
Screenings at BFI Southbank this summer include:
20 June – Wildfire + Q&A with director Cathy Brady
UK-Ireland 2020. Dir Cathy Brady. With Nika McGuigan, Kate Dickie, Nora-Jane Noone, Martin McCann. 85min. Digital. Cert tbc
Kelly (McGuigan) was missing, believed dead, but now she’s back and the whole town is talking. Angry and confused, her sister Lauren (Noone) takes her in but finds herself increasingly torn between family loyalty and damage limitation: Kelly is unpredictable and the spectre of mental illness that dogged their late mother hangs thick in the air. As their bond intensifies, historic resentments give way to a shared need to confront the events that scarred them as children, and they soon find themselves on a collision course with everyone around them. Brady’s debut – a hit at the 2020 BFI London Film Festival – is both a masterclass in unease and a superbly performed study of sibling relations.
1 July – Censor + Q&A with director Prano Bailey-Bond
UK 2020. Dir Prano Bailey-Bond. With Niamh Algar, Michael Smiley, Nicholas Burns, Sophia La Porta. 84min. Digital. Cert tbc. Courtesy of Vertigo Releasing
In mid-1980s UK, at the height of the “video nasty” hysteria, a young woman working for the censorship board assesses a film that shares disturbingly similar details with her sister’s real-life disappearance. As she attempts to investigate the link and track down its mysterious director, her life and reality start to unravel in gruesome ways.
10 July – World Restoration Premiere: RiddanceSzabad lélegzet+ pre-recorded extended intro by Márta Mészáros
Hungary 1973. Dir Márta Mészáros. With Erzsébet Kútvölgyi, Gábor Nagy, Mariann Moór, Ferenc Kállai. 77min. Digital 4K. EST
Jutka is an independent young textile worker – free, but mindful of social prejudice. When she falls in love with a university student she faces a test of honesty. Informed by her experiences researching a documentary, Mészáros examines youthful identity and integrity. The beautifully observational camerawork from Lajos Koltai is often in close-up, but never with judgement.
With such an incredible variety of live screenings, online events and on-demand films, this is certainly a summer to learn about and celebrate the many women that have influenced cinema so far and those who are shaping its future.
Woman with a Movie Camera is powered by Jaguar and generously supported by Jane Stanton.
The Summit can be enjoyed for just £5 for a weekend pass, £3 for those aged 25 & under.
