‘Enter the Storm’: What Not to Miss at Bristol’s IBT15Festival
From 12-15 February, Bristol will be flooded with art as IBT15 takes the city by storm. Presented by In Between Time, an international production company, and Arnolfini, a Bristol-based contemporary art centre, IBT15 is a multi-dimensional experience, comprised of art, performance pieces, theatrical productions, live music, talks and discussions, and dance. Thematically titled ‘Enter the Storm’, this is the festival’s sixth biennial and its first year as Bristol International Festival.
Spanning venues across Bristol, there will be no shortage of excitement at IBT15. While each day will be filled with festivities, there are three highlights that have particularly sparked our interest.
Making its UK debut, Fujiko Nakaya’s Fog Bridge is sure to steal much of IBT15’s thunder. Shrouding Bristol’s Pero Bridge in a blanket of mist, this interactive installation will “celebrate Bristol’s status as European Green Capital” and will be accompanied by a talk featuring the artist and curator Anne-Marie Duguet on 13 Friday at 1 pm. Don’t miss this walk in the clouds!
As a special treat for IBT15, the mysterious Tyntesfield mansion will be transformed into a stunning concert hall as musician Patrick Wolf presents ‘Night Songs’. Featuring various performance artists and an undeniably unique venue, ‘Night Songs’ will run 14 and 15 February at 8:30. Tickets are selling fast!
On 14 February, essayists Lois Keidan and Alice Maude-Roxby will host a book launch subsequent informal discussion about Double Exposures, a collaborative project created by Manuel Vason and forty of the UK’s most captivating performance artists. This event begins at 6 pm at Arnolfini and admission is free!
Rain or shine, IBT15 kicks off 12 Feburary at 6 pm at Arnolfini. Check out the official website for a complete guide to the festivities!
Frames and Futura: Barbara Kruger at Skarstedt
Barbara Kruger, Untitled (You kill time), 1983, black and white photograph, 72 x 49 in. (182.9 x 124.5 cm.) © Barbara Kruger, Courtesy of the artist and Skarstedt
From the 10th of February, London’s Skarstedt gallery will be showing an exhibition of American artist Barbara Kruger’s seminal early works; known for her consistent use of black and white imagery, red frames, and bold Futura type, Kruger’s unmistakable style is recognizable anywhere.
The exhibition will feature a collection of works selected from the 1980s, exploring themes including consumerist culture, sexuality, and the structure of power in society. By subverting the imagery and tools used by mass media, Kruger initially set out to challenge the aspirations of modern American culture and society:
“In my work, I try to question the seemingly natural appearance of images through the textual commentary which accompanies them”.
Contributing significantly to the discourse of such themes as Conceptual Art, Semiotics and Feminism, Kruger’s ground-breaking works of the 1980s helped earn her a place among the leading artists of today.
With her provocative captions drawing attention to the futility and banality of modern life (e.g. ‘You kill time’, ‘Your life is a perpetual insomnia’), Kruger’s early works remain unsettlingly relevant despite their conception over three decades ago.
Barbara Kruger: Early Works is at Skarstedt, London, from 10 February – 11 April 2015
Barbara Kruger, Untitled (You make history when you do business), 1981, black and white photograph, 72 x 48 in. (182.9 x 121.9 cm.) © Barbara Kruger, Courtesy of the artist and Skarstedt
Barbara Kruger, Untitled (Your life is a perpetual insomnia) 1981, gelatin silver print laid down on cardboard in artist's frame, 72 1/8 x 46 1/2 in. (183.2 x 118.1 cm.) © Barbara Kruger, Courtesy of the artist and Skarstedt