Art beat in September

Sept 1-12:

Revel's world of shakespeare

[Photo/China Daily]

Related story: Shakespeare's dedicated student

Joseph Graves, who revived several Shakespearean plays in China, recounts his and the title character's love affair with the bard of Avon. In the 90-minute one-man show, Graves doubles as a timid six year old daunted by the master and an erratic sentimental schoolmaster. Without giving away too much, there will be elements of terror, comedy and admonition.

7:30 to 9 pm every day fromAug 27 to Sept 2, Donggong Theater, No 47 Longfusi Street, Dongcheng district, Beijing (010) 64031596

Science meets art

An exhibition, titled 2013 Shanghai International Science and Art, will take place from Aug 28 to Sept 2. The city's scientist and artist organizations have joined hands to present this annual celebration. The exhibition covering more than 6,000 square meters adopts the latest technology. Interactive creation from 14 countries and regions are presented. A series of lectures on science and art will be given, and awards for outstanding work will be granted. Visit kyz.shkp.org.cn/ to receive free e-tickets.

9 am-5pm, Aug 28-Sept 2. Shanghai Exhibition Center, 1000 Yan'an Road M, Shanghai 021-5383-5606.

Love, murder and remorse at NCPA

Un Ballo in Maschera, Verdi's masterpiece adaptation of King Gustav III's assassination will be unveiled at the National Center for the Performing Arts on Sept 5. For the dance that combines love, murder, remorse with memorizing music, NCPA has tenor Dai Yuqiang in the king's role and baritone Liao Changyong as Renato. He Hui and Sun Xiuwei will star alternatively as the love-torn heroin Amelia. Lyu Jia will lead the orchestra.

7:30 pm,Sept 5-8. National Center for the Performing Arts, No 2 West Chang'an Avenue, Xicheng district, Beijing. 010-6655- 0000.

Fiery flamenco

Carmen, the world renowned seductive, gypsy woman, will captivate audiences with her fiery flamenco in a 30-kg dress at a dance drama staged in Guangzhou this weekend. Dance drama Carmen tells a love-and-hate romance between Carmen and a naive soldier, who leaves the army and joins a smugglers' gang as Carmen advises but finally kills his beloved for abandoning him. The version to be staged in Guangzhou is produced by the Spanish Ballet of Murcia, one of the most internationally acclaimed dance troupes in the country, which has been dedicated to promoting flamenco since its founding in 1985.

8 pm, Sept 6-7. Guangzhou Baiyun International Convention Center, 1039-1045 Baiyun Avenue South, Guangzhou. 020-8776-8099/8660.

Korean band debuts

South Korean pop rock band C.N.Blue is ready to thrill fans with upbeat songs and improvising ability at their debut concert in Guangzhou this Saturday. The four handsome members, who have been popular across Asia with their performances on South Korean TV show, want to prove they are not just eye candy. The band's world tour titled Blue Moon is a box office smash in Beijing and Hong Kong. Besides hits such as Lonely and I'm Sorry, Jung Yong Hwa, the band leader, also improvised an English song for Hong Kong fans at the concert.

7:30 pm, Sept 7. Guangzhou International Sports Arena, 2666 Kaichuang Avenue, Luogang district, Guangzhou. 020-3209-1000.

Tattoo mogul gets arty

Don Ed Hardy is widely know in the US as a tattoo mogul and across the world for his accessory and apparel brand featuring his tattoo designs. Few know that the tattooist has also been painting since 1987. Now Hardy is coming to China as an artist with 30 works created over recent decades. Most of his works will be on display for the first time. Involved in the tattoo industry all his life, the 68-year-old's art pieces mainly focus on tattoo designs and his life experiences. Hardy was fascinated with Oriental culture when he was a little boy. He spent half a year learning tattoo skills in Japan in the 1970s. Asian art and aesthetics influence both his tattoo designs and paintings.

10 pm, Sept 7-9. 798 Originality Square Metal Warehouse, 4 Jiuxianqiao Road, Chaoyang district, Beijing.

Separation on stage

Divorce, a play that vividly depicts the reality and absurdity of life in the 1930s, will be staged at the Pioneer Theater at the National Theater of China. Adapted from the namesake novel from Lao She, the national literary master, the drama will show how the then unheard of Western act of splitting disrupts relationships and life philosophies. The play will feature Lao She's simple and fresh text. Divorce is directed by Fang Xu, known for his minimalist touches and jointly presented by the Minxifang Theater Studio.

7:30 pm, until Sept 8. Pioneer Theater at National Theater of China, No 8 Dongdan Santiao (east of Oriental Plaza), Dongcheng district, Beijing.

010- 8404-9981.

Hong Kong Ballet's Swan Lake

The Hong Kong Ballet Company will give its take of Swan Lake at Guangzhou Opera House this weekend. Blending a thrilling story, dazzling costumes and technically demanding choreography with Tchaikovsky's beautiful score, Swan Lake has been one of the world's most popular ballet dramas since its 1895 premiere. It is a tangled web of contradictions and contrasts between the innocent White Swan and the malevolent Black Swan. The technical demands are legendary, with Black Swan's 32 fouettes in Act III as one of the most difficult ballerina sequences in the world.

8 pm, Sept 6-7. Opera Hall of Guangzhou Opera House, Exit B1 of Zhujiang New Town subway station, the interchange of Line 3 and 5, Guangzhou. 020-3839-2888.

From old and new

The exhibition Beyond Black and White in Contrast Gallery presents ink art from contemporary artists. Eight established artists have presented 18 paintings, installations and new media art. They have all developed as artists being influenced by Chinese culture and its art history, while creating their work in the contemporary context.

10:30 am-7 pm, Monday-Sunday, July 21-Sept 7. Contrast Gallery Shanghai, 1F, 181 Jiangxi Road M, Huangpu district Shanghai. 021-6323-1989.

Brazilian martial art

Capoeira Mandinga Beijing will hold a "baptism" party for its members. The ritual is for those who practice Capoeira, a Brazilian tradition that mixes martial arts, dance and music. Beginners will wear a green belt, while the more experienced practitioners wear yellow, blue or white belt to symbolize their seniority. Spectators can enjoy the performances by the group's members while sipping cocktails.

8 pm, Sept 7. Mako Live House, Hongdian Art Factory, Courtyard 36, Guangqu Road, Chaoyang district, Beijing. 010-5205-1112.

Exhibits for thought

An exhibition titled Death Camp showcases exhibits related to World War II from the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum and theShanghaiJewish Refugees Museum. The event organizer hopes the event will trigger visitors to ponder wars and their atrocity.

9 am-4:30 pm, until Sept 7. Museum of the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, 101 Inner Street of Wanping Fortress, Lugou Bridge, Fengtai district. 010-8389-3163

Show for ghost festival

To celebrate Ullambana festival, or ghost festival on Aug 21 (the 15th day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar), the Summer Palace is exhibiting calligraphy renditions of its namesake scripture. The Buddha Speaks, the Ullambana Sutra, is widely considered the principal text to dictate filial piety. Wang Chengyou, famous for his steady touch is the calligrapher, who presents on 22 screens in kaishu style, or regular script.

8 am-5 pm,until Sept 8. Hanyuan Hall in the Summer Palace, Qinglongqiao Jiedao, Haidian district, Beijing. 136-0107-8853.

Seeking serenity

Shanghai Gallery of Art is presenting an exhibition named Xiao Xia (Spending the Summer). Seven artists present their paintings, installations and video projects, focusing on those experiences that can't be seized in the fast-food era. The gallery has put together works of tranquility, coolness and thought-provoking, to bring out a moment of serenity in the hot summer. SGA Wing, a second space in the gallery, features the debut show of Qian Jiahua. SGA Wing is a new platform focused on the expansion of contemporary art in Asia and curatorial practice.

11 am-7 pm, July 27-Sept 8. Shanghai Gallery of Art, 3F, 3 Zhongshan E1 Road, Shanghai. 021- 6321-5757.

Lao She Films

The China Film Archive Center will remember the author Lao She by screening films based on his plays and novels in September. The author, renowned for his depiction of traditional Beijing life prior to the 1960s, is best known for the play Tea House. The film of the same name will be shown on Sept 11.

7pm every Wednesday in September, the China Film Archive Center, No 3 Wenhuiyuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 010-82296114

World in 2154

District 9 director Neill Blomkamp summons Matt Damon and Jodie Foster in Elysium, a science fiction thriller that premiered in China on Thursday. In the film, Damon tries to change a polarized world in 2154, when the rich live in a comfortable man-made space station and the rest in a ruined Earth. Visually impressive as it is, the film also has strong social relevance to global audiences for whom the gap between the extremely rich and poor is nothing new. The setting of the space station is inspired by life in Beverly Hills, while some parts of the chaotic Earth were shot in a dump in the poor Iztapalapa district on the outskirts of Mexico City.

When traditional and modern meet

About 30 new works by established ink artists from Shanghai such as Qiu Deshu, Wang Tiande and Tsai Guangbin, will be on show at Huafu Art Space. These artists have managed to bring the traditional Chinese art of ink painting to the modern age, illustrating the spiritual world of people today. It will also reveal the achievements and developments in the theoretical research on art in Shanghai.

10 am-6 pm, Tuesday to Sunday, Aug 10-Sept 10. Huafu Art Space, room 217, Building 4, 50 Moganshan Road. 021-5240-2211.

Sculptor goes solo

[Photo/China Daily]

Zheng Baocheng is presenting a solo exhibition of more than 20 sculptures. Zheng is a master craftsman of boxwood carving, a traditional art in Zhejiang province. Besides inheriting the traditional styles, Zheng has adopted modern aesthetics in his creations. He has gone further to work with rock, bronze and glass sculpture, as well as ink and watercolor paintings. Zheng has turned to contemporary art and created in recent years a series of works about consumerism and materialism.

10 am-6 pm, until Sept 10. Duolun Museum of Modern Art, 27 Duolun Road, Hongkou district, Shanghai. 021-5609-5728.