ArtBabble: Theater

The Art of Laughter: Kyogen Theater of Japan

Asian Art Museum — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 21:57:11 +0000

Series:

AsiaAlive

Institution:

Asian Art Museum

Izumi Junko and Miyake Tokuro of the Izumi School of Kyogen from Japan demonstrated performance techniques and discussed their careers as the first female performers in this male-dominated field. Daughters of the nineteenth head of the Izumi school of Kyogen, Izumi and Miyake have been pioneers for opening the Kyogen stage to women while strictly following the rules of their art. Izumi Kyoko, the daughter of Izumi Junko (age 6), also appeared on stage wowing the museum visitors.

MATCHA: Shadow Theater

Asian Art Museum — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 21:37:34 +0000

Series:

MATCHA (Art Happenings)

Institution:

Asian Art Museum

Celebrated master of Balinese shadow puppetry, I Wayan Wija performs Tantri, a collection of animal tales. Wayan Wija has created a new form of shadow puppetry, Wayang Tantri, by creating a set of characters based on the animals and human characters of the ancient Panchatantra tales.

New on View: Royal Marionette Puppets

Detroit Institute of Arts — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 19:50:42 +0000

Institution:

Detroit Institute of Arts

The DIA will display some of the best examples of American "Royal Marionettes," from its Paul McPharlin Puppetry Collection from June 29, 2011 to Jan. 1, 2012. Artists and puppeteers Walter Deaves, Daniel Meader and others followed a tradition of marionette theater introduced to America by English puppeteers in the 1870s. In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, these puppets were part of large troupes that performed in music halls and vaudeville theaters around the world in acts that featured strange and surprising characters.

Balinese Shadow Theater

Asian Art Museum — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 20:13:51 +0000

Series:

Bali: Art, Ritual, Performance

Institution:

Asian Art Museum

Arjuna’s Meditation: An excerpt from the Mahabharata, performed by Shadowmaster I Wayan Nartha.

William Kentridge: "The Magic Flute"

Art21 — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 19:28:44 +0000

Series:

Art21:Exclusive

Institution:

Art21

Exclusive Episode #134: In his 2005 production of Mozart's "The Magic Flute" (1791), artist William Kentridge reframes the opera's original themes of Enlightenment philosophy through the bitter legacy of colonialism. "The most toxic combination in the world is…the certainty of being right and a monopoly of power," says the artist, who casts the character of Sarastro in the role of a colonial overlord, "a benevolent figure that hides a monster."

Carrie Mae Weems & David Alan Grier: In Conversation

Art21 — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 11:34:37 +0000

Institution:

Art21

Carrie Mae Weems and David Alan Grier have an intimate discussion on a range of topics including childhood idols, the definition of blackness, race and politics during Obama's presidency, and a desire to make work that addresses not only personal identity but also the broader human condition. With the pitch and timbre of an accomplished storyteller, Carrie Mae Weems uses colloquial forms-jokes, songs, rebukes-in photographic series that scrutinize subjectivity and expose pernicious stereotypes.