In the news
Keeping time – the Tunisian clock monuments that tell of a bygone regime
A decade after the uprisings that led to the downfall of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, the clocks he loved remain
The medieval Armenian monuments in Nagorno-Karabakh must be protected
The region is full of important sites that have not yet been fully recorded or studied
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Podcast
The Apollo 40 under 40 podcast: Mohamad Hafez
The Syrian-born, US-based artist talks to Gabrielle Schwarz about his sculptural dioramas of cities ravaged by war – and offers a message of hope for the future
Art news daily
The week in art news – world’s oldest animal painting found in Indonesia
Plus: Smithsonian scales back $2bn redevelopment plan | Naomi Beckwith appointed deputy director and chief curator of Guggenheim | and Champs-Élysées to be turned into ‘extraordinary garden’
The week in art news – Indian Supreme Court approves plans for new parliament complex
On Tuesday, the Supreme Court of India dismissed objections to the construction of a new parliament complex in New Delhi. The plans, announced…
Bill restituting artefacts to Benin and Senegal passes into French law
The French parliament has finalised the restitution of 26 artefacts to the Republic of Benin and one to Senegal. Speaking…
Reviews
Period pieces – the fashion for putting dates on domestic objects
From commemorative wares to ordinary utensils, inscribing dates on household objects was once common practice
Jennifer Packer’s paintings pack a punch at the Serpentine
The artist’s powerful canvases are full of detail but never shy away from the bigger picture
12 Days: Highlights of 2015
La Sapienza (Eugène Green)
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Over the 12 days of Christmas, Apollo contributors and invited guests select their anticipated highlights of 2015
View the 12 Days series here
I’ve been looking forward to Eugène Green’s new film, La Sapienza, since it screened at the Locarno film festival. The premise is as contrived as you would expect from this film-maker: a frustrated French architect goes to Italy in search of Borromini and the baroque. But Green is a master of turning pretentious scenarios into witty and thoughtful films that are beautiful to look at. La Sapienza doesn’t have an UK distributor, but I’m still hoping for a run at the ICA or the Ciné Lumière in 2015.
The film-maker Ben Rivers has been darting between the white cube and the dark screening-room for some time now, capturing quiet places and people with his Bolex camera. Camden Arts Centre is very good at both of these environments (the ‘cinema’ for Moyra Davey’s video work stood out in 2014), and it will be a useful chance to look at his now substantial body of work.
Frederick Wiseman’s documentary about the National Gallery is unlike any of the films he’s made in the last 40 years. It’s almost as if the greatest living observer of institutions has decided that the single most interesting thing about this museum is its collection.
Still from ‘National Gallery’ (2014) Image © Frederick Wiseman, courtesy Soda Pictures/Zipporah Films
Event Details
Ben Rivers will exhibit at the Camden Arts Centre, London, from 25 September–29 November.
National Gallery is released in cinemas in the UK from 9 January.
View the rest of the 12 Days series here.
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