| | | Events - MARCH NEWS RELAY |
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News Relay
from the Consulate General of Belgium in New York
MARCH 2013 |
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Message from the Consul General
Dear All,
It seems like a long time that I was asked to write a message for you. And I am told it is, since we skipped the beginning of February issue. I was away to Belgium at that time and there were only a few things to report, so we skipped that issue (though rather unusual in publication schedules…). Unfortunately, my trip to Belgium wasn’t too successful, since I came down with a monstrous flu. I just read we’re having one of the darkest winters in Belgium (and it was very cold and snowy), so I shouldn’t be surprised. When I came back, I found New York under a beautiful white snow carpet. Walking in Central Park with a blue sky above was just a delight.
Now that the days are lengthening, I’d like to think that spring is just around the corner. However, I was reminded by the doorman that spring in New York only comes by the beginning of April.
While in Belgium for our diplomatic conference and also here in talks, I heard careful and surprising optimism about the Eurozone and the state of Europe, that the financial crisis was mostly contained and that we should now rebuild and reconstruct our economies. I was a bit surprised, since we’re mostly indoctrinated by the traditional Anglo-Saxon press and opinions. These tend not to be too enthusiastic and rather glum about the EU. Maybe rightly so sometimes, since the recent Italian elections and their paralyzing outcome again showed us how interdependent we all are and how one event in one country can destabilize the whole EU-structure again.
Belgium also has come a long way since last year. It has found a place again among the stronger ‘Northern’ EU member states. But the relative stability in the public deficit and debt, the unemployment figures and our relative better performance in economic growth should not make us forget that many challenges remain to stay on track. Politicians, as elsewhere in Europe, are struggling to find the right balance between austerity and growth, between medicine that can help or that could kill the patient. In our case, we have seen many big investors, including American companies, make dramatic announcements recently (closures by Ford, Arcelor Mittal, Caterpillar…). We can only hope that all parties concerned get to find solutions to address the economic changes instead of recrimination and useless talk.
In March, we will celebrate the centenary of the Armory Show, which brought European avant-garde art to the US for the first time in 1913. As was the case in the past, I will offer a reception to the Belgian and Belgian-linked participants in this year’s Armory Show. There will also be a delegation from Antwerp to further promote the opening, at the end of this coming September, of the Red Star Line Museum.
I wish you all the best for the coming month and find you in good health for my next message, at the beginning of spring…
Your consul general,
Marc Calcoen |
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IMPORTANT NOTICE TO THE BELGIAN COMMUNITY
Since it is now mandatory to appear in person for the application of a biometric passport, a staff member of the Consulate General will in the course of this year travel to different cities with a mobile kit to capture biometrical data (photo, fingerprints and signature) of Belgians registered at this Consulate General and who want to request a new passport.
The next visit will take place in Chicago and Houston during the month of April 2013. For more details on the procedure, please visit our website.
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March 1st, 7pm |
Monthly Prietpraat Meet-up
Mark your agendas: it’s time for another Prietpraat! Join the group for a cool beer and some sweet talk at the bar!
They will meet at the recent addition to BXL Café and BXL East: BXL Zoute
Find them on Facebook and Twitter
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Bxl Zoute
50 West 22nd Street |
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March 1-4 |
The First Time Fest
Representing a hybrid between a traditional film festival and an audience participation event, FIRST TIME FEST is a celebration of first time filmmakers, presenting the next generation of great filmmakers both locally and globally. Ultimately a Grand Prize winner will be selected to receive theatrical distribution for their film.
Come support the Belgian film among the contenders!
HEADFIRST / LA TÊTE LA PREMIÈRE
Directed by Amélie van Elmbt, 2012
Two attractive teens meet while hitchhiking across Belgium. Deceptively simple and beautifully made, Amélie van Elmbt's quietly and deeply observed coming-of-age road movie, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, will linger long after it is seen thanks to its remarkable lead performances.
Screening on Sat March 2nd, 2pm
For more information: www.firsttimefest.com
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Loews Village VII
66 3rd Ave, New York, NY 10003
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March 1-24 |
NEW YORK INT'L CHILDREN'S FILM FESTIVAL
showing a number of great movies from Belgium!
This year's festival presents a lineup of amazing new films from around the world, with premieres, special events, filmmaker Q&As, filmmaking camp for kids, globe-spanning short film programs, audience voting, and the NYICFF Awards & Best of the Fest celebration.
Ernest & Celestine - NYICFF 2013 Opening Night Film
(France, Belgium, Luxembourg)
Benjamin Renner, 2012
US PREMIERE - WITH DIRECTOR Q&A
Fresh from standing ovations at Toronto and Cannes, Ernest & Celestine joyfully leaps across genres and influences to capture the kinetic, limitless possibilities of animated storytelling. Rarely has so much charm, warmth, intelligence, and wit been packed into a film that audiences of all ages can enjoy.
The Zigzag Kid
(Belgium)
Vincent Bal, 2012
US PREMIERE - Making its first US appearance following rave reviews in Berlin and Toronto, The Zigzag Kid is a stylish, witty, action packed caper a la Pink Panther, featuring Isabella Rossellini as a nightclub chanteuse and a terrific performance by the young lead (newcomer Thomas Simon).
Approved for Adoption
Belgium, Boileau/Henin, 2012)
NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE
NYICFF proudly presents the North American premiere of this fascinating and remarkable animated autobiography that traces the unconventional upbringing of filmmaker Jung Henin, one of thousands of Korean children adopted into Europe after the end of the Korean War.
For more information & tickets: www.gkids.tv
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March 2 - 3 |
European Conference at Harvard
“Europe 2.0 - Taking the next step”
Being a joint-initiative of the European Student Clubs at Harvard Business School and Harvard Kennedy School of Government, the European Conference at Harvard aims to spark interest in key European topics and to put them into a transatlantic perspective. It provides a forum to discuss Europe with the business, economic and political leaders of today and tomorrow.
Among the speakers, several are high-profile Belgians: Karel De Gucht (European Commissioner for Trade Policy), Guy Verhofstadt (President of the European Liberal and Democratic Alliance in the European Parliament), Serge Brammertz (Prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia), Nani Beccalli (CEO General Electric Europe); Benoit Coeure (Vice-President European Central Bank), Jerome Contamine (CFO Sanofi-Aventis) and more.
In addition to Keynote Speeches, the Conference will host panels on Investing, Entrepreneurship, Luxury and Fashion, GreenTech, Diplomacy and much more.
For more information: http://europeanconference.org
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Harvard Kennedy School & Harvard Business School |
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March 2-3 |
“All the News…” Work on Paper by Belgian artist Marianne Garnier
Surrounded by the vagaries of New York City and the provocations of the human condition, Marianne Garnier parodies the human pursuit of order and happiness on page after page of her sketchbooks - her preferred canvas upon which she invents alternate realities.
Born in 1964 in Brussels, Belgium, Marianne Garnier lives and works in New York City. Garnier has been primarily producing volumes of sketchbooks for the past decade. Using a wide array of techniques (collage, printing, painting, drawing,...) she creates images that have appeared in many publications including Le Monde, Le Monde Diplomatique - Maniere de voir, Les Echos, Le Nouvel Observateur, amongst others.
Opening party on Friday March 1st 6-9pm
For more information: www.mariannegarnier.com
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186 5th Avenue #7, entrance on 23rd Str |
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March 6-28 |
"Agalmatophilia (Love of the Statue)" - an exhibit by Serge Strosberg
Born in Belgium, Serge Strosberg received his formal and extensive art education in Paris at the Academie Julian and Ecole des Beaux Arts. Striving to extend his knowledge, he went on to study privately with Joerg Hermle, a highly respected German Expressionist Artist and Professor, who taught him the ancient and difficult technique of painting with oil and egg tempera.
Opening Night Festivities
Wednesday, March 6th, 6:30 to 8:30 pm
Strosberg makes his own paint and mediums, using real eggs and pure color pigments from Italy. His most recent body of works combines classical technique with modern technology to create an avant garde and thought provoking series on the retail windows of major capitals.
For more information: www.sergestrosberg.com
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The Bond Group
25 Hudson Street
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Until March 30 |
At Belgian owned gallery David De Buck: XOOOOX “Everything, Everything!”
De Buck Gallery is pleased to announce an upcoming exhibition of works by Berlin-based artist XOOOOX, entitled Everything, Everything! The exhibition marks the artist's debut in New York, and will be on view from February 21 through March 30.
For more information: www.debuckgallery.com
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De Buck Gallery
511 West 25th Street, Suite 502
New York, NY 10001 |
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March 7-12 |
Belgian movie opening the 5th annual ReelAbilities
ReelAbilities is a festival of film, conversation and art programming that aims to promote understanding and awareness of the lives and artistic visions of individuals with different disabilities.
“Come As You Are” was The European Film Awards People's Choice Award Winner and is the ReelAbilities opening night film, screening at 7pm on Thursday March 7, followed by the opening night gala.
COME AS YOU ARE
(Geoffrey Enthoven, Belgium, 2011)
On a quest to lose their virginity, three young men with disabilities embark on a wild road trip. Their families think they are on a wine tour in Spain, but this is a cover for their true destination—a Spanish brothel that caters to people with disabilities.
For more information & tickets: reelabilities.org
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JCC in Manhattan
334 Amsterdam Ave
New York, NY 10023
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March 5 - 10 |
The Armory Show & Armory Arts Week
The Armory Arts Week’s programming will include:
Tue, March 5 – Uptown & Museum Mile
Wed, March 6 – The Armory Show with Opening Preview Benefit at MoMA
Thur, March 7 – Bronx Day & SoHo Night
Fri, March 8 – Long Island City Night
Sat, March 9 – Chelsea Day & Brooklyn Night
Sun, March 10 – Lower East Side / Downtown
The Armory Show, housed in Piers 92 and 94 along the Hudson River on Manhattan’s west side, is the largest art fair in New York and one of the principal annual art events in the international art market calendar. Visited by tens of thousands of people each March, the Armory has for almost two decades been the showpiece for some of the world’s most important modern and contemporary art galleries.
VIP Program - The Armory Show offers an unrivaled calendar featuring an exciting series of exclusive events in New York City that have become requisite in the international art circuit. The Consul General of Belgium is proud to participate in the program.
VOLTA NY is the American incarnation of the successful young fair founded in Basel in 2005. By putting the focus back on artists through exclusively featuring solo projects, VOLTA NY promotes a deep exploration of the work of its selected artists and galleries.
Following galleries from Belgium will be present at Armory or Volta show:
C L E A R I N G, Brooklyn, Brussels
Galerie Rodolphe Janssen, Brussels
Galerie Nathalie Obadia, Paris, Brussels
Galerie Jan Dhaese, Ghent
Galerie Fortlaan 17, Ghent
N O M A D Gallery, Brussels
For more information & tickets:
www.thearmoryshow.com
www.armoryartsweek.com
www.ny.voltashow.com
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March 6 - 10 |
SCOPE New York 2013
Widely regarded for its influential voice in the emerging art market, SCOPE New York 2013 will feature 55 international galleries alongside 20 Breeder Program galleries, selected by curatorial panel. Hailing from four continents and eighteen countries, SCOPE exhibitors represent the best and brightest contemporary work from emerging and mid-career artists.
Following Belgian gallery will be participating:
Galerie Van Der Planken from Antwerp
www.galerievdp.be
VIP & Press Opening on Wed, March 6 3pm–9pm
(or $100 donation at door)
For more information: http://scope-art.com
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Scope Pavilion Skylight at Moynihan Station, 312 West 33rd st New York NY 10001
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Until April 1 |
Dark Paradise
By Nancy Holt, Joan Jonas, Antony, Zipora Fried, Thiago Rocha Pitta, Patti Smith - Curated by Tim Goossens
The Clocktower Gallery presents Dark Paradise, an exhibition of photography, video and collage -both by prominent and emerging artists- which exemplifies contemporary discourse and storytelling through the canon of landscape imagery. The artists either engage physically with the landscape, or capture in a poetic -and only at first glance dark- traces of the past within (fictitious) vistas and historically charged places.
Tim Goossens, Curatorial Advisor for the Clocktower Gallery, is an independent Curator based in New York City. Born and raised in Belgium, Goossens moved to New York in 2006 and was an Assistant Curator at MoMA PS1 until 2010. At PS1, he curated the group exhibition Between Spaces (2009), and collaborated on major exhibitions including Kenneth Anger (2009) and Greater New York (2010) and co-curated the acclaimed performance series Saturday Sessions. In 2011, he was Creative Director of the new art initiative fordPROJECT on 57th street in New York City.
As an independent curator, Goossens sits on the advisory committee of SoHO House New York and is a Curatorial Director at envoy enterprises in New York.
For more information: http://artonair.org/exhibition/dark-paradise
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The Clocktower Gallery
108 Leonard St
13th Floor
New York, NY 10013 |
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March 7, 7pm |
Milow on US Tour with a free concert in New York!
Over the last five years this Belgian artist (born Jonathan Vandenbroeck) has emerged as one of Europe’s most exciting young talents: a plugged-in singer-songwriter with the ability to touch a crowd and the pop know-how required to make great records.
Milow was honored to be the first Belgian artist to perform at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert in association with the prize presentation.
Don’t miss the opportunity to see him in New York! Entrance free of charge
For more information: www.milow.com/
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Rockwood Music Hall
196 Allen Street |
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February 10 – March 11 |
Internationally Renowned Pianist/Composer Amina Figarova plays 14 Dates in 12 US Cities With Her Sextet, February 10 – March 11
Composer and pianist Amina Figarova performs 14 dates in twelve US cities with her sextet February 10 – March 11, 2013 in support of her recent album Twelve. The band will perform in NYC and Peconic, NY; St. Louis, MO; Louisville, KY; Cincinnati, OH; Hattiesburg, MS; New Orleans and Baton Rouge, LA; Little Rock, AR; Golden, CO; Kansas City, MO; and Memphis, TN.
The Amina Figarova Sextet features pianist Figarova with Belgian Bart Platteau on flutes, Ernie Hammes on trumpet, Marc Mommaas on tenor sax, Jeroen Vierdag on bass and Chris “Buckshot” Strik on drums.
Final concert of the tour will take place on Monday March 11 at the Dizzy's, Jazz at Lincoln Center, 7:30pm and 9:30pm For Tickets ($25): http://jalc.org/dizzys
For more information & complete tour dates:
www.aminafigarova.com
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Several cities in the US |
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March 8-10 |
Focus on French Cinema – 9th Annual Festival
The 9th edition of Focus on French Cinema, presented by the Alliance Francaise of Greenwich, CT in partnership with Purchase College, will again entice audiences with an eclectic, romantic, daring and essential line-up of French and francophone films the weekend of March 8-10 at the Performing Arts Center at Purchase College, NY.
Belgium will be represented with following films:
Tango Libre
Directed by Frédéric Fonteyne, starring: Francois Damiens, Sergi Lopez, Anne Paulicevich, Jan Hammenecker, Zacharie Chasseriaud
JC is a prison guard. He is an ordinary man with an uneventful life. His only extravagance is taking tango classes one night a week. One day, he meets a newcomer, Alice. The next day, surprisingly, he sees her again during prison visiting hours. She has come to see two inmates: one is her husband, the other her lover…
Our Children / A perdre la Raison
(Directed by Joachim Lafosse, starring: Niels Arestrup, Emilie Dequenne, Tahar Rahim)
Belgium's entry into the 2013 Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language film is based on a real life 2007 incident in Belgium. A psychological thriller and tragic family portrait - an ominous film that with its "voyeuristic” cinematography leaves the audience on the edge. A young Mother of four children finds herself trapped in an increasingly unhealthy emotional environment that can only have a tragic end.
38 Witnesses / 38 Témoins
(Directed by Lucas Belvaux, starring: Yvan Attal, Sophie Quinton, Nicole Garcia, François Feroleto, Natacha Régnier, Patrick Descamps and Didier Sandre)
Starring Yvan Attal in the "living nightmare" inspired by the case of Kitty Genovese, the Queens, NY woman brutally murdered in 1964 to the deaf ears of 38 witnesses sends a moral message in a suspenseful package.
For more information & tickets:
www.focusonfrenchcinema.com
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The Performing Arts Center
Purchase College, NY |
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March 15-17 |
Ice Hot: A Nordic Dance Festival at Joyce with
“Carte Blanche”
Carte Blanche is the Norwegian National Company of Contemporary Dance, established in 1989 and located in Bergen, the second largest city in Norway.
Carte Blanche’s repertoire includes work by some of the best and most celebrated Norwegian and international choreographers, strongly emphasizing commissioning work by a new generation of contemporary dance makers.
Its artistic and general director is Belgian Bruno Heynderickx.
Performance schedule: Friday March 15, 8pm; Sat March 16, 2pm & 8pm; Sun March 17, 2pm & 7:30pm
For more information & Tickets: joyce.org
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The Joyce Theater
175 Eighth Avenue
New York, NY 10011 |
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March 21-April 21 |
Envoy enterprises is pleased to announce Almond, the gallery’s second solo exhibition with Belgian artist Johan Tahon
Presenting a brand new body of work created in the past year, the figurative sculptures in the exhibition are made from glazed ceramic and explore the vulnerability of the human body as it appears to be turned inside -out. Various in scale and mostly white with some subtle touches of colored glaze, the works are presented either directly on the floor or on raw, unpainted pedestals. The interplay of glazed and raw surfaces confront the viewer with the thin line between beauty and deformation.
Opening reception on March 21st 6-8pm
Johan Tahon was born in 1965 in Menen, Belgium. He completed his studies in Sculpture at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Ghent. He lives and works around Oudenaarde, Belgium.
For more information: www.johantahon.be
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Envoy Enterprises
87 Rivington St |
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March 21-24 |
Architectural Digest – Home Design Show
A world of design inspiration awaits at the 12th annual Architectural Digest Home Design Show. Explore the latest products for the home and get inspired by new ideas and insight from top talents in the industry.
D'APOSTROPHE/ROYAL BOTANIA
Royal Botania, a Belgium-based manufacturer of luxury outdoor furniture and accessories, combines aesthetic sensibility and precise functionality in each and every product it offers. Founded by engineers Kris Van Puyvelde and Frank Boschman in 1992, it has earned an international reputation for technical refinement and design originality. The brand is represented by D’Apostrophe, which also represents high-end Belgian manufacturers and brands including: Limited Edition, .MGX Materialise, XL Boom, Bulo, Wildspirit and others.
For more information: www.archdigesthomeshow.com
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Pier 94, 55th Street @ 12th Ave |
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March 26, 8am-9am |
BelCham Events
New York - Belgian Captain Session with Andre Duval, Founder CEO Duval Guillaume & Duval Union.
For more information: www.belcham.org |
KBC Bank
1177 Avenue of the Americas
8th floor
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In the news
Information about the growing French-English bilingual programs in New York City’s public schools: http://frenchlanguage.frenchculture.org
Neuhaus is looking for an Office Manager for their Office in Plainview, NY (Long Island)
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