Venice Biennale opens to public

Source: BBC

The Venice Biennale-- the world's oldest and most high-profile contemporary art exhibition-- is opening its doors to the public.

It was founded in 1895 to celebrate new developments in international art.

National pavilions were built in the Giardini - or public gardens - to house exhibitions from each participating country's chosen artists.But as more and more countries wish to take part, the Biennale has spread across the Italian city.

It has been described as the Olympic games of the art world - 77 countries from Armenia to Venezuela are showcasing the work of their leading artists.All are hoping to win the top prize - the Golden Lion.

The United Arab Emirates is one of several nations taking part in the Biennale for the first time with an exhibition curated by Tirdad Zolghadr.

"I think it's important for artists, critics, curators, to be able to point to a pavilion and to say, look, this has accomplished something at a place like the Venice Biennale, let's take this seriously here in the country too," Zolghadr says.

Just a boat ride away are hundreds more exhibitions, spread all over Venice.There is also a larger, more far-reaching, international show that has been organised this year by Swedish curator Daniel Birnbaum.

"With all the big museums and all the art fairs and festivals and triennales, still the Biennale has this attraction. It has magnetism," Birnbaum says.

"The Venice Biennale is not here to be loved, it's here to be discussed. And if people keep coming back to discuss it, that's the best result that we can have," he says.

There are plenty of familiar sights and sounds in Venice too, like the cafe orchestras in Piazza San Marco.

Whatever else, the Biennale offers an unprecedented opportunity to see vast amounts of modern art in one of the world's most historic cities.

Moore-Kutcher want Susan Boyle for wedding anniversary

By Agencies

Hollywood couple Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher has reportedly offered Scottish singing sensation Susan Boyle USD 45,000 to sing at their wedding anniversary later this year. 

Moore and her actor husband became fans of Boyle following her performance on 'Britain's Got Talent', Mirror online reported. 

"Demi and Ashton think Susan is absolutely brilliant, in a fantastically unique and kitsch way. The idea is a cocktail party at home in Los Angeles, the highlight being Susan singing," a source told the publication. 

The 48-year-old singer suffered a shocking loss to dance troop Diversity in the finals and was subsequently admitted to a rehabilitation clinic after suffering from exhaustion and emotional meltdown. 

She was released from the clinic on Thursday and Moore and Kutcher have reportedly approached her to perform at a party in September to mark their fourth wedding anniversary.

Anupam Kher to host premiere of 'Saaransh'

By Agencies

To celebrate completion of his 25 years in the film industry, noted actor Anupam Kher will host the premiere of his debut film 'Saaransh' on Sunday. 

The premiere could not take place 25 years ago because of the Bhiwandi riots. Now, 25 years and 380 films later, Anupam wants to celebrate the beginning of his journey in films and relive the moments of a first time actor. 

He has invited the film's director Mahesh Bhatt and co-stars Rohini Hattangadi and Soni Razdan for the premiere. According to the actor, 'Saaransh' gave him, a 28-year-old struggling actor then, a fresh lease of life. "I feel humbled and thankful to God that hard work and honesty had paid off," he said. 

'Saaransh' is not just a film but a philosophy of life. Some films are timeless and 'Saaransh' is one of them, Anupam who played a 70-year-old character in the film, recalled fondly. "For 16 more years, I will be younger than my debut screen character," he said. 

On the high and low points of his film career spanning a quarter of a century, Kher said both meant a lot to him.  "As you grow older, you mature as a person and that is most important," he said. 

Anupam said out of the 380 films he had done, he was proud to be a part of at least 50 movies, "Saaransh", "Lamhe", "Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jaayenge", "Maine Gandhi Ko Nahi Mara" and "a Wednesday" to name a few. 

The actor said he was also proud of his acting school – Actor Prepares – and the new breed of actors coming out of the Institute.  "Being a teacher has given me tremendous satisfaction. I still have the same enthusiasm for life and cinema," he said. 

On criticism he received for being seen in mediocre films in the recent times, he said, "If one does good work, there is also mediocre work."  Anupam will be next seen in Yash Raj Films' "Haddippa" and Karan Johar's "Wake up Sid" apart from films like "Hawai Dada" and "Sankat Stiti". 

Kher, who turned director with the film "Om Jai Jagadish", said he was writing the script of his next film which will go on floors next year.

Source: http://www.screenindia.com