subtruth

Is it blaxploitation already? Probably. But also a good lesson in crime economics and music business (the difference between the two being thin). The Jamaican slang sure adds an extra spice to it. I liked pretty much every minute of it.

Rain has been falling over Paris in biblical proportion over the last few days. Fortunately, there is a gazillion exhibitions to see. Here are some definitely worth visiting:

Lénine, Staline et la Musique at the Cité de la musique (until 16th January 2011). The Bolshevik revolution of 1917 raised some high hopes for many Russian composers and other musically crazed. With reason: if a general tabula rasa of bourgeois conventions was to be made, then music and the arts should be concerned too – if not at first. Some of those hopes were in fact realized, but at the latest with Lenin’s death and the undisputed dictatorship of Stalin, composers had to bow to the rule of happy, unchallenging “proletarian” music. Anything else would be considered bourgeois and/or “formalist”. Think of poor Shostakovitch and Prokofiev and their love for complex symphonies in that context – they were at the brink of being sent to some gulag more than once, but were also praised for their efforts, especially during the 1941-1945 war with Hitler’s Germany. Also on display: rich costumes of Russian opera, some paintings of that time (and space) to underline the musical point and a theremin made by moog that you can “play” with. All this is highly recommended. And yes, there is an English guide to the exhibition too. Factlet: Prokofiev died on the same day as Stalin. Guess if it was noticed.

Arman (retrospective) at the Centre Pompidou (until 10th January 2011). Is he the french Woody Allen? Sort of. They share a love for ordinary objects, serial work and humor. Arman was maybe more straight forward when it came to explaining his work. His colères (exploded objects), coupures (sliced objects) and injections (objects stuck in resin) make for great compositions, have funny titles and, most important, are part of a reasoned approach – even if some ideas get a bit repetitive after a while. An accomplished martial arts amateur, Arman knew how to entertain and use the media in this aim. This is art that is fun and makes you think without torturing your conscience more than it should.

Art brut japonais at the Halle Saint Pierre (until 2nd January 2011). Japanese people are, of course, naturally crazy, so if you gather the craziest among them and expose their stuff, you are up to something good. The typical maniacal repetition of motifs that you can find with many artistes bruts finds itself here in the painstackingly drawn faces of trains from 1990 to today or the depiction of huge crowds of smiling faces, sure to awaken fears of asian perils in your average European. Also: some wonderful plans for imaginary pumps, machines and other systems that totally make sense… in a psycho-japanese kind of way, that is. Not all is good, most will remain closed to any kind of human interpretation. But entertaining, it is.

Back to the rain – but in home base Berlin. Don’t you love November?