© William Wegman: Around the ParkMADRID—Established in 1997, the Paris-based organization Recontres Internationales holds annual festivals in Paris, Berlin, and (since 2003) Madrid to introduce to the public works that merge contemporary art with cinema. A lively series of cutting-edge films, art exhibits, exploratory workshops, and stimulating discussions, the festival emphasizes the links between all audiovisual practices. Its goal: to draw a wide audience, inspire new types of artistic creation, and spark interaction between artists and their audiences. Fresh from its success in Paris in November, the 2008–09 edition hits Madrid April 16–25, before traveling to Berlin from June 30 through July 5. The program is more or less the same in each of the three cities.
With support from the respective governments and national cultural institutions, the festival plans events in major venues in each of the cities, for instance, in Paris at the Centre Pompidou and Jeu de Paume, in Berlin at Haus der Kulturen der Welt, and upcoming in Madrid at the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, CA2M Centro de Arte Dos de Mayo, the auditorium of the Ministry of Culture, the Spanish Cinematheque, and the Tabacalera — Future National Centre for Visual Art. Featured artists and filmmakers participate in the workshops and debates, giving those who attend an inside look into their creative processes and an opportunity to personally engage with them. This year, promoters promise that at least 150 established artists and filmmakers will be in Madrid.
Under the directorship of French curators Nathalie Hénon and Jean-François Rettig, whose backgrounds span art, music, and philosophy, the festival has attracted such esteemed filmmakers as Alexandre Sokurov, Jean-Luc Godard, and Pedro Costa, but it also plays a pioneering role. This year in Madrid, 200 works from 65 countries — selected from 6,500 submissions — will be exhibited; the only criterion for inclusion is excellence. The works have been arranged in the various venues by themes such as "War and Family" and "Society" to encourage discussion of topical subjects. Visitors are invited to multimedia concerts and a video library as well.
From artinfo.com
To learn more: www.art-action.org
