Chunnel Vision

One Irreverent Writer Tracks Two Superlative Cities at High Speed

Paris: Chinese New Year

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Trust the dragon to hog the limelight

FOR the second weekend running, Chinese Parisians welcomed in the Year of the Tiger, and in roaring style.

This week it was the turn of the 13th arrondissement. Now, I bet you thought the streets around avenue de Choisy were home to the largest of the city’s Chinese populations, didn’t you? (I did). Well, we’re wrong: many more live over in Belleville.

That said, the 13th is more visibly Asian, and very commercial, which still makes it one of the best places to head if you have a hankering for pork dumplings or a yen (yuan?) for saucy shot glasses. (By the way, if anyone knows why said shot glasses are a tradition in Chinese restaurants in Paris, but not around London’s Gerrard Street, please let us in on the secret…)

Anyway, it was a slate-grey Parisian day, but the vibe was lively. Just add firecrackers, cymbals and goodwill.  Happy New Year 4078!



Written by manda

February 21, 2010 at 6:14 pm

Posted in Paris, travel, Uncategorized

Tagged with ,

Banksy’s Croydon Punk update

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For those who missed it, here’s Channel 4 News’ round-up on the Punk story…

Written by manda

February 18, 2010 at 9:38 am

Walls that talk

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I’m back. It’s been a while… Here’s a whisk around some of the street art clocked on Paris walls and buildings.

Written by manda

January 31, 2010 at 7:57 pm

Old Masters get the Rancinan treatment

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METAMORPHOSES, natures mortes et conversations opened this week for a whistle-stop show at the Palais de Tokyo, in Paris’ 16th arrondissement. If you’re a fan of David LaChapelle‘s larger-than-life still-lives (see my earlier post), don’t miss.

The event is a collaboration between French photographer, Gérard Rancinan and writer, Caroline Gaudriault.

Modern day pieta - on the runway (detail)

Pietà on the runway

Caravaggio's The Entombment of Christ

Even if you don’t know them from Adam and Eve, you won’t be slow to clock their inspiration.Rancinan’s ironic mise-en-scenes take an backward glance at the works of Da Vinci, Caravaggio, Delacroix, Matisse and others.

The references, however, are pure 21st century.

Take The Last Supper, transmogrified into The Big Supper (below, detail). (Rancinan and his team crossed  the Pond for his cast of size XXXL disciples…)

Eat up, you're at Uncle Sam's....

Meanwhile, in Las Meninas, Rancinan’s homage Velasquez, a grotesque troupe of tattooed and latex-clad handmaidens wait on a primped and lurid Marilyn. Er, eternal youth, anyone?

You’ll need to be quick to catch the exhibition. Metamorphoses is in Paris until 6 December 2009 – but is expected then to make NY and London appearances.

Below: Rancinan’s Raft (after Géricault’s masterpiece). See it being made here.

Rancinan's Raft (after Géricault)

Written by manda

November 21, 2009 at 9:02 pm

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