Go see William Orpen: Politics, Sex and Death at the Imperial War Museum London from 27th January to 2nd May 2005, Daily 10am - 6pm (last admission 5.15pm). Orpen isn't that well known these days (but it looks as if that's changing). He was a fascinating character who had both high-level establishment contacts (sometimes through women he bedded) and a sympathy for Irish Nationalism (although himself a Southern Protestant). He became very disenchanted with the political establishment due to his experiences as a War artist in the First World War and the political aftermath. He certainly deserves to be better known.
The 19th Lesbian and Gay Film Festival is showing Daily 30 March -13 April 2005 & national tour highlights go UK-wide: April - September 2005.
The British Film Institute is delighted to present the 19th London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival which will open on 30th March with a gala opening screening of Prey for Rock & Roll, a delicious biopic starring Gina Gershon (courtesy of Parasol Peccadillo). Our Closing Night gala on 13th April will be Gregg Araki's Mysterious Skin (courtesy of Tartan Films), a bold and beautiful adaptation of Scott Heim's novel of childhood trauma. Both screenings take place at the Odeon West End. The rest of the festival will take place at the National Film Theatre and for the first time we will be collaborating on a series of gay artists' films at Tate Modern.
The London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival is presented by the British Film Institute and programmed by Jonathan Keane, Selina Robertson, Inge Blackman and Brian Robinson. The Festival enjoys the support of a wide range of sponsors including Mayfair Cellars, Renault UK, media partners Time Out, AXM, G3 and Impact distribution. We are also grateful for the support of Soho House, Heaven, Southopia, the Candy Bar, Midnite Express, Konditor & Cook, The Berners Hotel, Canada House, the Goethe Institute, and the Finnish Institute.
This year the LLGFF Patrons' Scheme includes a highly distinguished group: Clare Balding, Stephen Fry, David Furnish, Paul Gambaccini, Sir Elton John, Isaac Julien, Byrony Lavery, Sir Ian McKellen, Phyllis Nagy, Pratibha Parmar, Patricia Rozema and Sarah Waters.
Robert Crumb - A Chronicle of Modern Times is running at the Whitechapel Gallery from 1 April -22 May.
The Whitechapel promises "the most comprehensive presentation to date of Crumb's career as one of the most influential cartoonists of the last 40 years". As Whitechapel rightly point out: "Crumb remains a highly controversial figure with hard-hitting and politically incorrect work that has provided a hero for marginalized non-conformists."
Also make a note of Back to Black, Art, Cinema and the Racial Imaginary (7 June - 4 September 2005) also at Whitechapel: "Back to Black's themes delineate the issue, characteristics and moods of 1960s and 70s artists and audiences."
Whitechapel, Whitechapel High Street, London E1, 7QX. Telephone: 020 7522 7880.
Catch Rachid Koraichi Ancestral Memories, 28th April 2004 - 28th May, 2005 at the October Gallery. The Gallery states:-
The name a Koraichi - a transliteration of the Arabic Quarishi - indicates the artists descent from one of the oldest and most prestigious of the Arab tribes, and this instalation, specially commissioned for the October Gallery, develops a theme relating to the continuity of ancestral lines. The instalation consists of a monumental hand-embroided textile covered with signs, symbols and traditional sayings that recall the ancestral design of the colourful flags that represented each of the Sufi brotherhoods." Surrounding the central standard will be 49 individually crafted brass finials. 49 is a number chaarged with significance in Sufism as the square of 7.
October Gallery, 24 Old Gloucester Street, London WC1N 3AL. Open: Tue-Sat 12.30 -5.30pm
See Depth of Field at the South London Gallery till 8 May, 2005.
Artists' collective, Depth of Field (DOF), live and work in Lagos, Nigeria, and over the last four years have developed a remarkable track record of collaborative practice. The six artists who make up DOF assign themselves a weekly theme and meet a week later to hold a critical session on the resulting images. Their work largely centres on the vibrant street life of Lagos. A vast urban sprawl and home to 13 million people, Lagos is projected to be the third largest city in the world by 2025.
For DOF's first exhibition in the UK each artist will produce a new body of work, depicting all that urban Lagos has to offer, including images of crime, affluence, poverty, gentrification, the dispossessed, and a thriving hip hop music scene.
DOF are: KELECHI AMADI-OBI, UCHECHUKWA JAMES-IROHA, TOYOSI ODUNSI, AMAIZE OJEIKERE, EMEKA OKEREKE AND TOYIN SOKEFUN.
South London Gallery, 65 Pecham Road, London, SE5 8UH. Open Tuesday to Sunday 12-6pm. Closed Monday.
Depth of Field will tour to the Open Eye Gallery in Liverpool from 10 June to 30 July 2005. Open Eye Gallery 28/32 Wood Street Liverpool L1 4AQ T. 0151 709 9460
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