SwedishScene

Swede Maria Friberg to show her latest work "transmission" at Conner Contemporary Art in Washington, D.C.

2010-03-15T23:10:27Z

MARIA FRIBERG, Swedish contemporary videographer and photographer (www.mariafriberg.com), will show her latest work "transmission" at Conner Contemporary Art in Washington, D.C. March 20 through May 8. This will be the worldwide debut of "transmission."

IN "TRANSMISSION", Maria Friberg re-frames the automobile as a sign for ambivalent concepts, such as progress and environmental threat, social hierarchy and economic instability, and male power and uncertainty. By filming moving cars against a clear sky, Friberg achieves a dream-like effect, while underscoring the relation between man and nature, which is a major theme in her art.

MARIA Friberg was born in Malmö, Sweden in 1966, and she was educated at the Royal University College of Fine Arts in Stockholm, where she now works and lives. Ms. Friberg says that she "creates ambiguous tableaus that challenge preconceived notions about identity, gender and social hierarchies." She has showcased her art in Sweden and abroad, and previously she has had solo exhibitions at Conner Contemporary Art in Washington in 2003, 2005 and 2007. For additional information: www.connercontemporary.com or 202-588-8750. Conner Contemporary Art is located at 1358 Florida Ave., N.E., Washington, D.C. 20002. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The 4th Annual Cocina De Coprodeli Event on April 1 in Washington, D.C.

2010-03-12T18:06:20Z

THE NON-PROFIT organization, Coprodeli USA, in partnership with the Embassy of Peru, will host its 4th annual spring event, Cocina de Coprodeli, on April 1, 2010. It will include a variety of Latin American dishes prepared by local chefs from restaurants Mio, Las Canteras, Yorktown Bistro, Redwood and the Embassy of Peru. Café Atlantico, Funxion and Mio will be making pisco sours, the Peruvian national cocktail. Vibrant music and dance will be included in the celebration. Pisco will be provided by Macchu Pisco and wine by Brassfield Estate Winery. CF Industries is providing funding to underwrite the cost of the event.

Padre Miguel Ranera, founder of Coprodeli

COPRODELI USA aids Peruvian families by providing for fundamental needs, promoting education and job training, and developing strong self-sustaining community programs. Proceeds from the event will benefit nutrition and agriculture programs in selected areas of Peru.

THE EVENT, 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. will be held at 1777 F Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. Advance tickets are $35 at www.coprodeliusa.org or $40 at the door.

Women in the Arts are celebrated at an exhibition at the Workhouse Arts Center in Lorton, Virginia

2010-03-10T13:31:04Z

Music was played by a harpist during the opening reception.

"6 ABSTRACT WOMEN" is the headline of an art exhibition at the Workhouse Arts Center in Lorton, Virginia, that had an opening reception on Sunday, March 7. The exhibition, which will be showcased through March 28, presents works by artists Andrea Cybyk, Marcia Dale Dullum, Michele Hoben, Joyce McCarten, Jan Sherfy and Roberta Thole.

THE EXHIBITION was a part of the Virginia state-wide celebration of women in the arts during March, which is Women's History Month. Titled "Minds Wide Open: Virginia Celebrates Women in the Arts," the Virginia program is the first statewide celebration of its kind. Between March and June this year, thousands of special programs and events will take place across the state to honor contributions by women in the arts and culture. For more information: www.ArtsVA.com.

THE WORKHOUSE ARTS CENTER is located at 9601 Ox Road, Lorton, VA 22079, www.WorkhouseArts.org, tel. 703-584-2900.

La Grande Fête de la Francophonie held in Washington, D.C. in Solidarity with the Haitian People

2010-03-07T18:24:17Z

French Ambassador Pierre Vimont (in the middle) and guests

"LA GRANDE Fête de la Francophonie," which was held on Friday evening, March 5, in Washington, D.C. at the French Embassy - La Maison Française - is the crowning event of the 2010 Francophonie cultural festival. This year "la Grande fête" was dedicated to the memory of those who lost their lives during Haiti's recent earthquake, and to the rebuilding efforts of those who survived. Funds collected from the event will be given to the American Red Cross to support their campaign to help the people of Haiti rebuild their country.

Romanian Ambassador Adrian Vierita and his wife Codrina Eugenia Vierita

DURING THE FESTIVE evening hundreds of guests could enjoy culinary specialties from over 35 nations and dance the night away to live music provided by Cyprus' Nikolas Metaxas and swinging Cajun tunes from Louisiana Steve Riley & the Mamou Playboys. Representatives from various embassies, governments and institutions presented their cultures and showcased their rich traditions and cuisines of the French speaking world.

Nathalie Jobin and French Cultural Attaché Roland Celette

THE FRANCOPHONIE FESTIVAL is a month-long event in Washington, to enjoy films, children's programs, lectures, concerts and other cultural arrangements. Visit www.FrancophonieDC.org for the entire schedule, March 1 to April 11.

Ann-Marie Brisbois and Robert Dyer

Jennifer McFarland, Sarah Grafton and Siobhan Gavagan

Lath John Akadje is the Cultural Attaché of Côte d'Ivoire.

Koustubh Parulekar, Sasha Sutcliffe-Stephenson, Shelagh Hayes and Jean-François Peyronnard

Fatoumata Noumansana (in the middle) with friends

Priyanka Neewoor, Jennifer Nelligan, Nagesh Rao and Kate Culpepper

Opening Reception for Visual Artist Claudio Talavera-Ballón at the Peruvian Embassy

2010-03-04T16:15:45Z

Blanca Ochoa of Embassy of Peru, the visual artist Claudio Talavera-Ballón, and Fernando Quirós, who is the new Deputy Chief of Mission at the Peruvian Embassy.

THE OPENING RECEPTION of "Peru: People and Costumes" - an exhibition with artworks by Peruvian visual artist Claudio Talavera-Ballón (www.talavera-ballon.com) - was held at the Embassy of Peru on Wednesday evening, March 3. Talavera-Ballón, who was born in Arequipa, showed an early talent for drawing and painting. During a few years he worked as a graphic designer. In 1997 he learnt to know the renowned watercolorist Luís Palao Berastain, who became his mentor, and he decided to work professionally as a painter. In 1999 he was invited to move to Calca, a small town outside Cusco, to study watercolor techniques and live with his master for a two-year period, a time during which he fully dedicated himself to painting. Talavera-Ballón's work has been exhibited in several galleries throughout Peru and Chile. He currently resides in Cusco, Peru.

Renato Reyes Tagle, Blanca Ochoa and Luís Chang of the Embassy of Peru

Blanca Ochoa and her brother Dr. Jesús Ochoa Zavaleta

Exhibition of the work of Futurist Designer Fortunato Depero at the Italian Cultural Institute in Washington, D.C.

2010-03-01T23:17:25Z

Rita Venturelli, Director of the Italian Cultural Institute in Washington, D.C., her husband Luigi Volta, and Mary Bird

AN EXHIBITION OF the work of the Italian futurist designer Fortunato Depero (1892-1960) was presented at an event at the Italian Cultural Institute in Washington, D.C. on Friday evening, February 26. Mr. Depero is best known for his design of the 1932 Campari Soda bottle, which is still in production.

THE EXHIBITION, titled "Fortunato Depero 50," is a collection of Debero's graphic design work over the course of 35 years and includes 41 works and 10 vintage prints. It explores the techniques used by the designer in his works and his advertisements.

FORTUNATO DEPERO was born in 1892 in Fondo (Trentino). In 1913 he began to explore Futurism as an artist, and shortly after his move to Rome in 1914, through Giacomo Balla's intervention, he was officially admitted into the group of futurist painters and sculptors. On March 11, 1915, he and Balla signed the manifesto Futurist Reconstruction of the Universe.

FORTUNATO DEPERO ALSO worked with the Swiss poet Gilbert Clavel to create Balli Plastici, or the "Plastic Dance," a show that was first performed in Rome in 1918, featuring puppets instead of live actors, giving a mechanical but joyful vision of the world. At Friday's event, that show was presented again in a "re-imagining" film directed by Franco Sciannameo of Carnegie Mellon University.

IN 1928 DEPERO LEFT for New York, where he worked with costumes and stage solutions for theater and ballet institutions, as well as in advertising and illustration for magazines. He was deeply changed by his New York experience, with its bright skyscrapers but also rundown suburbs. New York showed him the real face of the technological future that the Italian futurists had always dreamt of. He returned to Trentino, but after World War II he was back in New York to have another chance at the American adventure, and it brought him into contact with the surrealists and with anthropological interests, which revitalized the work of his final years.

THE CURATOR for "Fortunato Depero 50" was Italian art critic Maurizio Scudiero and Studio 53 Arte in Florence, Italy.

Closing Reception of "Till Death Do Us Apart" at Long View Gallery in Washington, D.C.

2010-03-01T18:54:20Z

Painter Dana Ellyn in front of some of her artworks

"TILL DEAHT DO US APART" - the show with work by artists Dana Ellyn (www.danaellyn.com) and Matt Sesow (www.sesow.com) at Long View Gallery(www.longviewgallerydc.com) - held its closing reception on Saturday, February 27. On Friday, February 5, the well-known Washington artist couple tied the knot at a ceremony during the opening of the show, and the public was invited.

ELLY AND SESOW created paintings called "Till Death Do Us Apart" for the exhibition that accompanied their wedding, featuring artwork that depict scenes of love-hate relations in marriage.

The fabulous "A Swedish Midsummer Feast" by Swedish artist Anna U. Davis

Drew Porterfield of Long View Gallery

Artwork by Swede Anna U. Davis

Painting by Matt Sesow

Retired Rear Admiral Jay M. Cohen spoke about U.S.-Swedish submarine cooperation at the SACU luncheon

2010-02-26T20:35:19Z

SACU Chairman David Paul, Mrs. Margareta Paul, Undersecretary Jay M. Cohen, Mrs. Ingrid Beach, and Col. Lars-Olof Corneliusson, Swedish Marine Attaché in the United States and Military Attaché in Canada.

JAY M. COHEN, Undersecretary for Science and Technology at the U.S. Department for Homeland Security and a retired Rear Admiral in the U.S. Navy, was the featured speaker a the Feb. 24th Swedish American Cultural Union luncheon in Washington, D.C. He spoke about the visit to San Diego in 2005-2007 by the Swedish submarine HMS Gotland. Admiral Cohen was in charge of arranging for the Swedish submarine to come to the United States and share its naval technology with the U.S. Navy.

Embassy of Finland in Washington Celebrated as First Green Embassy in the U.S.

2010-02-25T19:01:36Z

Mrs. Laurel Colless, the wife of the Finnish Ambassador; Philippa Hughes of the Pink Line Project; and Finnish Ambassador Pekka Lintu.

THE EMBASSY OF FINLAND in Washington, D.C., located on Embassy Row/Massachusetts Avenue, celebrated its building's recognition as the first green embassy in the U.S. at an event on Wednesday evening, February 24. The beautiful and modernistic embassy edifice - an architectural landmark in the U.S. capital -- has been awarded the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification for existing buildings, marking the first time a diplomatic mission in the U.S. has received this recognition. The Finnish Ambassador Pekka Lintu and his wife Laurel Colless were hosts during this celebration, and the Ambassador also received the award from the Council.

Jim Healy, Christine T. Mangi and Nick Schandlbauer

THE MANY GUESTS - who were asked to wear something green (which actually not many did pay heed to!) -- could feast on a fabulous buffet with many Scandinavian delicacies and martini drinks lit up by a bluish light, put together by the executive chef at the Embassy of Finland, Mikko S.P. Kosonen, and his colleague at the Swedish Embassy, Martin Johansson.

Nils Bruzelius and his wife Lynne Weil

BEHIND THE ARRANGEMENTS for the creative programs during this festive evening were art impresario Philippa Hughes and her arts organization The Pink Line Project (www.pinklineproject.com). The performers and artists were the musicians Christylez Bacon (nominated for a Grammy!), the dance company City Dance Ensemble, and video DJ was John Bowen/Videokillers, and painter Cory Oberndorfer.

Lena Skanby and Richard Gould

Martin Johansson, Executive Chef at the Embassy of Sweden, and Mikko S.P. Kosonen, Executive Chef at the Embassy of Finland, arranged a fabulous buffet.

Finnish Press Secretary Kari Mokko and Christina R. Sevilla, Deputy Assistant U.S. Trade Representative.

Veronica Jackson and Paula Schumann

Jenni Järventaus, Lars Roth, Saija Nurminen and Suzanne D.A. de Groot

Isciane Rouziere and Bipin Badhe

Christine T. Mangi and Michel Heitstuman

Kamran Hasan, Izumi Yamanaka and Bipin Badhe

Heiko Hesse, Benjamin Loewy and Eric Brewer

Ambassador Pekka Lintu (to the right) receives the LEED Gold award for the Finnish Embassy. The LEED rating system provides a suite of standards for environmentally sustainable construction and existing buildings.

The evening's video DJ was John Bowen/Videokillers.

The Embassy of Finland is located on Massachusetts Avenue in Washington, D.C. Its building is being recognized as the first "green" embassy in the U.S.

New York in February...

2010-02-24T13:41:28Z

Black History Month exhibition at Lorton Workhouse Arts Center in Virginia holds it closing reception

2010-02-22T18:00:15Z

Artist Martha Jackson Jarvis says, "My works on paper invite viewers into inner space, where energy, form and color guide our journey. Enigmatic fragments construct polyrhythmic narrative that are discovered and revealed as dynamic artifacts of our lives."

The closing reception of the Black History Month Exhibition - a diverse exhibit of African American artists -- at Lorton Workhouse Arts Center in Virginia was held on Sunday, February 21. The exhibition, which opened February 3, will go on through February 27. The participating artists are Margo Humphrey, Martha Jackson Jarvis, Michael B. Platt, Preston Sampson, Stanley Squirewell and Therman Statom.

Lorton Workhouse Arts Center is located at 9601 Ox Road, Lorton, Virginia 22079. Tel. 703-495-0001, www.workhousearts.org.

Dr. Margaret Burroughs exhibition at Parish Gallery in Washington

2010-02-21T15:15:49Z

Dr. Margaret Burroughs' exceptional skill as a printmaker has earned her a place within the history of art.

ON FRIDAY, February 19, Parish Gallery in Georgetown, Washington, D.C. held its opening reception for well-known artist Margaret Taylor Burroughs. It was one of several galleries that held openings or were open that night as part of the "Georgetown Gaze." Dr. Burroughs, who is a prominent African American cultural figure: a visual artist, poet, educator, arts organizer, community activist, and institution builder, was born in Saint Rose, Louisiana, in 1917, and later moved to Chicago, where she received a B.A. in art education in 1946 and an M.A. in 1948 at The Art Institute of Chicago.

Gallery owner Norman Parish and glass artist John Henderson

IN 1961, Burroughs and her husband, Charles, made the first of her contributions to African American posterity in the founding of the DuSable Museum of African American History, opening the museum in their Chicago home. The museum later moved into its own buildings in Washington Park and has become an internationally recognized resource for African American art.

Sue Hamilton and Al Slaughter

DR. BURROUGHS IS an exceptional printmaker and her skills have earned her a place within the history of art, even though she has also worked in sculpture, painting and many other art forms throughout her career. She has also illustrated children's books, published poems, and exhibited her own artwork internationally. In particular, she has felt a special affinity to the Mexican muralists and both studied and collaborated with artists in Mexico. Her work has been shown at the Corcoran Art Gallery in Washington, D.C. and the Studio Museum in New York.

THE EXHIBITION at Parish Gallery will run through February 27. The gallery is open Tuesday through Saturday, noon-6 p.m; other hours by appointment. Tel. 202-944-2310, www.parishgallery.com.

Juanita and Mel Hardy of Millennium Arts Salon

Artist Rodgers Naylor shows paintings at Susan Calloway Fine Arts in Washington

2010-02-20T16:51:36Z

Painter Rodgers Naylor and gallery owner Susan Calloway, Susan Calloway Fine Arts

WASHINGTON, D.C. born artist Rodgers Naylor works in an "alla prima" manner, usually beginning with a warm-tone under painting and completing a painting in one session when possible. This method, since it involves painting directly into wet paint, allows great flexibility in mixing colors and attaining soft edges, and fosters a fresh, spontaneous approach to painting.

Architect Christian Zapatka

ON FRIDAY EVENING, February 19, the opening reception of Naylor's exhibition "Here and There" was held at Susan Calloway Fine Arts in Washington, D.C. The exhibition consists of paintings of urban life, including scenes from Washington, D.C., Chicago, and other US cities, as well as places in Mediterranean European such as Barcelona and various towns in southern France.

New Yorkers Rob O'Donnell and Robert Tursi

THE ARTWORK SHOWS the artist's strong interest in the effects of light and shadow, warm and cool colors, and the interplay between the landscape and its human inhabitants. Rodgers Naylor, who grew up on a farm in Maryland, currently resides in Colorado, and gathers inspiration both close to home and in his distant travels.

Photographer Holly Foss and the artist's sister Debra Naylor

SUSAN CALLOWAY FINE ARTS is located at 1643 Wisconsin Ave., N.W., Washington, D.C.20007. Tel. 202-965-4601, www.callowayart.com, and e-mail: gallery@callowayart.com.

Siobhan Gavagan (to the right) and a friend

Artist Michael Platt's exhibition "In Abandoned Places" opens at International Visions Gallery in Washington

2010-02-14T15:45:33Z

Artist Michael Platt and L. Christina Waddler

AFTER A one-week delay - like for so many other events -- due the severe snowstorms and blizzard conditions in Washington, D.C. the last few weeks, artist Michael Platt's exhibition "In Abandoned Places" opened at International Visions Gallery in the nation's capital on Saturday afternoon, February 13.

Gallery manager Violet Morris and Tawana Edwards

MICHAEL PLATT is widely recognized for his fusion of digital conventional photography, drawing and printmaking. It is a way for him to explore and expose "the human condition, and in particular the history and experiences of African and African Diaspora culture." He tells the story of the marginalized and the survivors who exist in spaces that are discarded.

Carol Beane and Micheline Rice-Maximin

PLATT WAS BORN and raised in Washington, D.C., where he currently works and resides. He has received numerous grants from DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, and received the Mayor's Art Award for Excellence in the Visual Arts in 1999. He has public collections in institutions such as the Corcoran Gallery of Art, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the David C. Driskell Center of the University of Maryland, Yale University Art Gallery, Hampton University Museum, and Schomburg Research Center in Black Culture.

INTERNTIONAL VISIONS GALLERY is located at 2629 Connecticut Ave., N.W., Washington, D.C. Gallery hours are 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. Tel. 202-234-5112, e-mail: intvisions@aol.com, and www.inter-visions.com.

Artwork by Michael Platt

Artwork by Michael Platt

Movie "Dear John", directed by Swede Lasse Hallström, opens strongly in its first week

2010-02-09T22:39:54Z

Film review in The New York Times

"DEAR JOHN," a movie about young love, opened on Friday, February 5, in theaters nationwide. It is directed by the well-known Swedish film director Lasse Hallström. The movie received lukewarm response in the media, but was a hit at the box office, with revenues this weekend of $32.4 million. It even came out ahead of the much talked about movie "Avator," which grossed only $23.6 million.

"DEAR JOHN" is based on a best-selling novel by Nicholas Sparks about a soldier and his sweatheart back home. Young actors Channing Tatum and Amanda Seyfried play the lead roles in this romantic story that takes place in the shadow of 9/11. The traditional ingredients in Mr. Sparks's novels are love, illness and death.

THE NEW YORK TIMES' critic A.O. Scott writes in his film review that "He (Sparks) is a master of the feel-good weepie, a form of mass-market deep-tissue massage."

A.O. SCOTT says, "In the hands of director Lasse Hallström...this story of interrupted passion takes on a ripe, summery glow."

MR. SCOTT adds, "Mr. Hallström and the screenwriter, Jamie Linden, are careful to respect the vague, whispery tones of Mr. Sparks's writing (They do, however, change the book's ending in a way that both deepens and blunts its impact.)"

DIRECTOR Hallström is married to the award-winning Swedish actress Lena Olin. The couple lives outside New York.