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Here’s our round-up for March 9-16
This week is bursting with exhibitions, performances and cultural experiences for everyone to take part in. Whether you’re battling the pollen or ready to put on your party hat, you’re sure to find something fun to fill your days with.
Tehran-born Florentine artist Aryan Ozmaei exhibits 20 pieces over two thought-provoking locations across the Murate Art District (MAD) and the Museum of Anthropology and Ethnology. Curated under the title of “Third Space”, Ozmaei’s strikingly bold pastel works act as sites of cross-cultural hybridization: fragmented or decontextualized statues and sculptures are symbolically reconstructed to overcome their rigid traditional ethnographic ordering. She explores a relationship between art and anthropology, using it to platform powerful readings of colonial history, the ethnocentric gaze, modernity and its crisis, the need for rewriting, processes of hybridization and de-colonialism.
The Hard Rock Cafe in Piazza della Repubblica has an impressive calendar to celebrate International Women’s Day on March 8. The third in their series of events will be on March 10 with a performance from the 1980s cover band 80Voglia. Roll down your fishnets and get ready to dance the night away like it’s the very first time.
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In celebration of the Autentica 10th anniversary party, Manchester-based producer, cartoonist and DJ Mr. Scruff joins Combo Social Club for an eclectic DJ set. Spinning since the ‘80s, Mr. Scruff loves combining anything from deep soul, funk and reggae to afro, new wave and house. With his unpredictable mixes and expert sound engineering, this set will promise a night that has a little something for everyone.
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“Omigod, you guys!” Elle Woods and her canine companion, Bruiser, are enrolling at Teatro Verdi’s take on the Harvard campus. Watch her blossom as she battles the trials of law school while making a few faithful friends along the way. Bend and snap your way to your seat for a night of musical fun. All performances are in Italian and ticket prices range from 25 to 37 euro.
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March 11
Rooted in classical mythology, this session is an invitation to let go in a meaningful return to one’s origins through the recovery of an action as simple as handwriting. Through observation, experimentation, reflection and listening, Betty Soldi’s “inksperience” (150 euro) allows for participants to learn and explore the art of calligraphy.
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A classic tale comes to life on stage. Follow as Belle’s provincial life takes a turn in the hallowed halls of the beast’s castle. Finding a few fun furniture friends along the way, this performance of the enchanting story is one not to miss. Ticket prices range from 17 to 28 euros and the performance is in Italian.
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Students from the Mounds View High School Orchestra in Minnesota, USA, will perform a classical concert at the Church of Saint Michele and Gaetano. This youth group composed of over 100 musicians is led by directors Lucas Shogren and Rachel Rogness. The orchestra will play through a medley of classical favorites including the works of Gustav Holst, Samuel Osmond Barber, Joaquìn Turina, Ludwig van Beethoven, and more. The concert is free for the public to enjoy.
On March 13, the Oltrarno, San Niccolo’ and via dei Neri neighborhoods will fill up with U.S. students who have volunteered to clean up the streets and piazzas. James Madison University and the Associazione Via Maggio are working together to make students, residents and businesses in the Santo Spirito area more aware of their responsibility towards the heritage of the city and the environment we share. Since 2014, this collaboration has led to the biannual organization of the JMU Big Event in Florence. JMU students, often together with other U.S. program students, Italian students at the Machiavelli-Capponi high school in the Oltrarno and local residents join a walking and plogging tour.
Cultural Salon kicks off the spring season with a two-part reflection in Palazzo San Niccolo on how art and society reacts in times of crisis, and how we find hope, inspiration and a new way forward. The first reflection on March 14 will center on Art and the Black Death: Disaster, Despair, and Hope. Elaine Ruffolo walks participants through a discussion on how communities grappled with an invisible enemy, and artists trying to make sense of the random destruction brought by plagues. The cost is 20 euro and includes a drink.
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Portuguese actors Tiago Rodrigues and Tónan Quito share the stage at the Materia Prima festival for a performance intersecting the enigmatic relationship between author and actor. The audience follows the story of letters written from a prisoner to his mother on the pages of Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex. The fourth wall is broken as Quito speaks directly to the audience, creating an intimate relationship between the two as well as an indistinguishable limit between reality and fiction. The performance will be in English with Italian subtitles.
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Rea Stavropoulos is a multi-medium artist who is presenting her works at Le Murate Cafe. Along with the exhibition, she hosts a conversation (in Italian) with art historian Giovanna Giusti. During the conversation, there will be image projections as well as some of Stavropoulos’ 3D works for guests to enjoy.
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Private chef Sara Cagle and journalist Phoebe Hunt have announced two new supper club dates this spring, both of which will be held at B.EAST Gallery. The first one on Thursday March 16 is an intimate dinner celebrating the flavours of Turkey and the Middle East – think halloumi and date butter canapés, wild boar manti and celeriac kebabs, paired with Tuscan wines provided by Bosca and Cantina I Veroni. Email phoebejessicahunt@gmail.com or sara@saracagle.com for details.
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Experimental artist Francesco Lauretta presents an exhibition of paintings at the LdM Gallery. Centered around the act of bathing, the literal and symbolic meaning of water has always fascinated Lauretta. Throughout history, bathing has served for a myriad of purposes from religious to hygienic. This exhibition explores those purposes through paintings and card-board cutouts of himself and two other bathers, bringing a dimensional element to the exhibition.
The Hard Rock Cafe goes green for Saint Patrick’s Day. Head to piazza della Repubblica on March 17 for a night of good Irish fun. The Shamrock Dance company of the Clover Irish Dance School will entertain guests with a performance of traditional Irish step dancing. While you tap along, enjoy a Guinness bacon jam cheeseburger.
The weather at this time of the year always makes for a perfect movie night. Cinema Astra screens Academy Award-winning director Sam Mendes’ film Empire of Light starring Olivia Colman, Michael Ward and Colin Firth. The screenings will be in English with Italian subtitles. Also screening this month is the silent documentary Amante Sponde, which was presented at both the Rome and Turin film festivals. This documentary presents striking geophysical imagery of various parts of Europe, backlit by a dreamlike soundtrack.
Palazzo Strozzi reopens its doors for the impressive new exhibition titled Reaching for the Stars. From Maurizio Cattelan to Lynette Yiadom-Boakye, which showcases major works by international contemporary artists such as Maurizio Cattelan, Sarah Lucas, Damien Hirst, Lara Favaretto, Cindy Sherman, William Kentridge, Berlinde De Bruyckere, Josh Kline, Lynette Yiadom-Boakye and Rudolf Stingel to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Turin-based Sandretto Re Rebaudengo Collection, one of the most prestigious collections of contemporary art in Italy.
Giulia Seri presents her exhibition Amduat at the LdM Gallery belonging to Istituto Lorenzo de Medici. Her works involve fragile and expressive figures that reflect mythological references uncovering the fragility of human existence, while contrasting with the delicate materials and tones used. On Wednesday, March 1, Giulia Seri sits down with Egyptologist Valentina Santini and art curator Spela Zidar to discuss the works.
The tenth edition of this contemporary theater festival is back with a new program of performances. Known for bringing to the stage international artists, award-winning actors and emerging young performers, this festival nurtures the relationship between theater and community. Performances will be held throughout the city with the primary language being Italian.
A double exhibition presents the art of Swiss sculptor Alberto Giacometti and Argentine-Italian painter Lucio Fontana. These works will create an important dialogue between two international powerhouses of 20th-century art in the stunning Sala delle Udienze and Sala dei Gigli at the Palazzo Vecchio, while the Museo Novecento will host a continuation of Lucio Fontana’s works through September 13.