I V Y Paris News

Life-Writing Workshop with Carolyn Burke

Carolyn Burke, authorof "Lee Miller, A Life" (Knopf/Bloomsbury) and "Becoming Modern, The Life of Mina Loy" (Farrar, Straus & Giroux) is pleased to offer a two-day intensive workshop for writers working on biographies and memoirs or planning to do so, on June 17 & 18, 10 am to 3pm at Shakespeare & Company .

Topics covered will include choice of subject, research techniques, the proposal as a way to clarify emphasis and structure, and narrative strategies to ensure liveliness—the techniques of fiction applied to the richly contextual form that is contemporary biography.

We will work together with materials that bring historical perspective to the intimate details of a life or a set of lives in their intertwinings.

Bollywood Meets Thriller

For a laugh...

Weekend picks - Belleville and Nuit des Musées

A weekend not to be missed, at Portes Ouvertes in Belleville, you can check out 250 artist's studios in one of the best parts of Paris. Enjoy.

At the Nuit des Musées our public institutions are open late for free. Our pick would be the Napoleanic baubles at Les Arts Décoratifs....... Tip: Avoid the Pompidou where they'll be queuing round the block.

Who cares about Cannes?

Sophie Calle - Prenez Soin de Vous

Joanna Walsh (Badaude) writing for
I V Y paris

Do not bring your boyfriend to this exhibition. This is not an exhibition for couples. And, if you are male, don't bring your girlfriend. In fact, maybe don't come at all.

There are a few couples here to see Ms Calle's multimedia project set in the beautiful 19th Salle Labrouste domed reading room of the Bibliotheque Nationale, but I don't fancy their chances. Most of the spectators are women in groups, or women alone. A few lone men wander through, glancing tentatively at the desktop screens scattered throughout the room. Most of them are looking increasingly queasy.

You see, once upon a time, Artist Sophie Calle's ex-lover sent her an email of breathtaking audacity in which he explained that he had begun to see other women and, out of respect for her desire for a limited form of monogamy (the man rumoured to be Monsieur X is married), had decided to chuck her and hold onto them. But hey, he ends, "Prenez soin de vous - Take care of yourself.".

What's a girl to do? Well, Ms Calle decided that, as she was too devastated to reply to this message personally, she could best take care of herself by sending copies of it to 107 other Frenchwomen, from a police psychiatrist to a schoolgirl, asking for their advice and opinions on the break-up message, then exhibit the results for everyone in Paris (and the World, via her participation in this year's Venice Biennale) to see, hear and read.

Fast Forward >> Last Night's Fornarina Show

From the Paris Social Club Dancefloor

Photos and text by Danielle Voirin

I've been in Paris five years and hadn't been to Paris Social Club, formerly the Triptyque.  Am I the only one?  Lately I had been craving a night of dancing, London-style, losing myself in a huge pulsing box of a place with sudden blinding lights and creative electro/house/dance (I really don't have the lingo, but I know it when I hear it) music. 

I was thrilled to get an invite to see Mix Master Mike, member of the Beastie Boys, at The Social Club, formerly the famous Triptyque.
The club isn't huge, but before you orient yourself in the dark, the mirrors play with your perceptions.  We were able to get one of the few tables, and I installed myself along with my guy friends, next to another table also full of men.  Yeah, the ratio seemed to be in our favor ladies. 

The main dance area was comfortably full the whole night, and the music dance-inspiring from the moment I walked in, during the electro beats of Busy P.  Despite this, it seemed more like a concert than a dance club, with everyone focused on the DJ booth.  It made me realize that I prefer the DJ to be a bit hidden, so I can dive in and escape into his music rather than watch him play.  Regardless, the night satisfied my craving and I won't hesitate to return.

I.C. Rapoport at Galerie Le Simoun

I V Y paris is proud to present the exclusive showing of I.C. Rapoport's Paris est une fête at Galerie Le Simoun, Opening night vernissage, Saturday 31st May through June 14th, 2008.

We've worked with Mr. Rapoport to show exclusive prints from his archives for the very first time in Paris. These prints are being effectively being retired with this show, so see them now when you have the chance!

DISCUSSION WITH THE ARTIST: Saturday, May 31st at 4pm

OFFICIAL OPENING EVENT: Saturday, May 31st from 6 to 8pm

Jan Fabre's The Angel of Metamorphosis at the Louvre

Adrian K Sanders writing for I V Y paris

Jan Fabre's exposition at the Louvre is here, and the installation is massive.

Covering nearly every room in the Richelieu wing's Ecole du Nord, Fabre's work are visibly in dialog with all of the great Flemish and Dutch greats from Rembrandt to Haarlem.

Chosen on account of his own Flemish heritage and multi-faceted talents in the world of arts, including choreography, installation and painting, Fabre seems to be the perfect voice to discuss the Ecole du Nord, and bring it back into the contemporary limelight.

The Fabre works on display range from video to drawings, with a heavy emphasis on sculpture and installation. The whole thing could be considered a large installation and this is where the problems as well as the successes can be found.