Melania Motta, Author at Womens Post

Entertainment July 8, 2018

Banking on Banksy

To say that the Art of Banksy is one of the highlights in the Toronto visual arts’ landscape of this summer is perhaps an understatement. With 65,000 tickets sold to date and a rate of 14,000 visitors a week since its opening on June 19, this travelling exhibition, unauthorized by the artist, has generated such an enormous amount of interest in the city that it has earned an extension of another month. Torontonians have until August 19 to feast on the artwork of the artist who hides his identity and covers his face with a paper bag.

I personally was lucky enough to see some of his artworks in their original locations when I lived in Bristol, Banksy’s home turf, in the mid-2000s. Back then, I witnessed his art in its pure state: street art there where it is birthed. Leaving aside the debate of whether it is right or wrong to bring street art into an enclosed space and make people pay a ticket to see it, this type of art stays for a period of time and then it disappears. Therefore, the work of Steve Lazarides, curator of the show, has the merit to bring the work of this secretive artist to the general public.

In the absence of a real name, a face, and an obvious identity to reference to, a visit to the Banksy exhibition is a great way to learn about the most famous graffiti artist of this and any era through photos, paintings, and prints as well as the narrative of Steve Lazarides, who was part of his entourage for ten years.

The idea for the show to come to Toronto originates from a personal visit by Corey Ross (President of Starvox Exhibit Inc.) to the exhibition in Amsterdam last summer with his family. After the visit, a discussion ensued about what they had just witnessed. Any form of art makes viewers peel the layers off the surface of an aesthetically pleasant and entertaining experience. “You see the works of a mesmerizing artist and his political messages at the same time,” Corey says. Truly, underneath his pictures, Banksy’s political and social activism—opposition to wars, anti-capitalism, anti-consumerism, anti-establishment—is loud and clear.

Corey thinks that Toronto is the right place to test drive a new idea. What made Toronto win the bidding war against Athens and Stockholm are the following factors: the space at 213 Sterling Road, a former transformer factory; the neighborhood, a once industrial area, but soon to be home to the Museum of Contemporary Art, has developed a creative vibe; the public: “Toronto has the right public for this type of show” Corey says, “as demonstrated by the enormous success of the Kusama exhibition, totally embraced by the city at the AGO earlier this year.”

“The feedback received from the visitors is vastly enthusiastic,” he continues. People are polled via email after their visit and the positive feedback addresses largely three elements contributing to the success of the show, one being the space which perfectly fits an art show; next is the size and breadth of the exhibit—with sculptures, prints, paintings, photos of Banksy’s work and at work; the third is Lazarides’s own perspective with his inside stories on how Banksy established himself as an artist, how he created certain works, how he managed to get through security and so on. Lazarides’ narrative adds a layer of mystery around an artist whose art begins with an offense, trespassing of private properties, to leave his signature mark on a wall.

The 80 pieces—79 following the theft of one piece caught on video camera—were carefully curated by Lazarides. None of what is at the show was taken off the street. His original works are still there unless the landlords painted over them, or the police removed them, or another artist tagged them.

Lazarides, who started by taking photos to document Banksy’s work on site, then acted as his agent, ran his shows for art collectors to buy his pieces. So, the exhibition is a collection of pieces for shows mounted by Lazarides from 1998 till 2008. The second last room of the exhibit contains the Flag Wall and other pieces that were part of the ‘Barely Legal’ show Lazarides mounted in Los Angeles in 2006. These pieces were created for art collectors, then ended in private collections; therefore, only seen by a limited number of people. Some of the pieces were sold during Christmas parties at $35 and some were sold to movie stars. The final piece Forgive Us Our Trespassing was seen in a small art gallery in Los Angeles by no more than 2,000 people. It’s a giant 21-foot-high piece that was sitting in a warehouse for ten years because the collector did not have space in their house.

Judging by the sheer number of photos of Banksy’s pieces that cover social media these days—if it is ever appropriate to use social media as a barometer to reflect users’ preferences—Flower Thrower, Girl with the Red Balloon, Flying Copper, Flag Wall and Forgive Us Our Trespassing are among the most popular pieces of the show. Apparently, a couple had their photo taken with the latter piece in the background while the man went down on his knee to propose to his fiancée.

Lastly, on the way out, visitors are confronted with one of Banksy’s quotes. Much like Dante’s warning before descending into the underworld “Abandon hope all ye who enter here” Banksy warns: “We can’t do anything to change the world until capitalism crumbles. In the meantime, we should all go shopping to console ourselves.” I faced this dilemma myself as to whether I needed to console myself as I exited through the gift shop.

Entertainment June 22, 2018

Female Eye Film Festival handles tough topics

In the city that holds the record for the highest number of film festivals per capita, the Female Eye Film Festival (FeFF) is not a festival to be missed. Coming to the Carlton Theatre from June 26 to July 1, the FeFF marks its 16^th edition this year. Since its quiet inception, the “little festival that could” to quote Angela Argento, Chair of the FeFF, has come a long way. What’s more, in light of the most recent events that hit the film industry and the subsequent viral spread of the #MeToo movement, this independent and thought-provoking festival is perhaps even more relevant.

In a recent interview with Lesley Ann Coles, Founder and Executive Director as well as an accomplished film director herself, she summarizes very well the rationale behind such lack of morality: “Regardless of gender, if you pursue a career that is a dream, the film industry is a killing field for perpetrators who will take advantage of people’s dreams.” As festival director, Leslie Ann sees many films, reads many scripts, and knows all too well that gender identity, gender imbalance, sexual abuse are constant themes in women’s films. The short Cross My Heart by Jamaican Director, Sontenish Myers, is just one of the films in the program which features this uncomfortable truth.

Leslie Ann is very proud of the Female Eye. Beyond the obvious fact that the festival is a window for independent female writers and directors to showcase their work, she says “it’s a relationship building festival, a networking opportunity for directors, writers, and producers coming together and creating friendships.” One of the films showcased this year, The Plural of Blood, is a testimonial of the sisterly spirit that forms at the Female Eye and generates work partnerships: Mary-Lyn Chambers, director, and Roxy Shih, executive producer of the film met at the FeFF two years ago.

The festival begins on June 26 at 6:30 p.m. with a film by Valerie Buhajar, It’s Hard To Be Human, followed by a Q&A with the director. Valerie is a frequent visitor of the festival; her previous feature film The Anniversary, was screened at the FeFF in 2014. She is a living example of how the FeFF is a space where filmmakers’ talent is nurtured and encouraged through the years. Particularly noteworthy is the script development program, a “creative incubator for screenwriters” where panels of experts and aspiring writers and directors meet and discuss the potential of future storytellers and film directors. The script development program is free and open to the public.

Unlike other film festivals, the Female Eye is very keen on ensuring that women are firmly seated in the director’s chair. The director has the “key creative control when it comes to films, especially independent films” says Leslie Ann. However, the script development program is also open to male writers whose screenplay’s protagonist is a female character, and that is to address the gender imbalance and inequity on screen and behind the camera across the board. That is not to say that the Female Eye excludes men; on the contrary, men are involved in the making of the festival, men go and see the films. Interestingly, the tag line of the festival used to be “Female Eye, Flicks Not Just for Chicks” to help dispel the myth that women make films just for women. The festival stands at the forefront in the fight against the stereotype that wants women only watching fluffy rom-coms; women’s films are accessible to everyone and for everyone. In more recent years, the tagline has changed to “Always Honest, Not Always Pretty,” just like the truth, and as such it resonates with the films that women make where characters are complex, as are their relationships.

Finally, every year, the Female Eye awards an Honourary Maverick and an Honorary Director to women who have excelled and given a significant contribution to the film industry. The 2018 recipients are respectively, Debra Zimmerman and Liz Marshall. Debra runs a distribution company out of New York, dedicated to women documentary makers. Liz is a Toronto-based documentarian with a focus on social justice and environmental themes. These events take shape of intimate conversations with the recipients. All industry programs which include panel discussions with leaders in Canada’s film and television industry, script readings and the much-celebrated Live Pitch are free and open to the public.

The Female Eye Film Festival opens on June 26 and runs until July 1 at the Carlton Theatre. Tickets ($8 two-hour film program) are available for purchase online. $10 at the door. Audience Q&A with the directors follow each screening.

What's Hot June 6, 2018

Don’t like camping? Try glamping

With summer around the corner and school coming to an end, it’s time to make some travel plans that fit everyone’s expectations: The nature and adventure junkie, and the comfort and luxury lover.

I’ve always liked the idea of camping and my experience of it in my 20s was positive so much so that I would have gladly repeated the experience if my other half were more agreeable with it. Camping is simple and inexpensive way to travel and experience a new place. All you need is a tent, a sleeping bag, a knapsack with clothes to last enough days, toiletries, cooking supplies, and off you go. Well, if you like that sort of experience, great! But what if your partner in life and travel is not into roughing it? No worries! If you don’t like camping, how about glamping?

Glamping is becoming popular especially with families, people with high income and the over 60 crowd. You can find glamping sites everywhere across Canada and around the world. The demand is high and so is the offer.

Simply put, glamping is glamour and camping combined. Glamping is the perfect compromise; the camping lover will not have to renounce their need for adventure, love of nature, and experiential travel while the luxury lover won’t have to throw a wrench by demanding style and comfort. Glamping is camping with the comforts of a four-style hotel. When you “glamp”, you ditch the traditional tent that needs assembling each time you use it. Instead the options are: A barn, a hut, a cottage, a lodge, a tent, a teepee, a yurt, a villa, a treehouse, or a wagon; in any case, a very comfortable, fully-furnished, often elegant and uniquely decorated unit. Proper beds, queen or king size, guarantee a good night sleep. Units come with electricity or battery powered outlets to charge your phone, use your hairdryer and so on. On another note, if camping evokes the thought of toilets located under the stars, put all worries to rest. Glamping sites provide fully functional bathrooms with hot and cold running water, showers and or tubs.

Like all respectable campsites, glamping sites offer entertainment to all heart’s content with activities such as zip-lining, axe-throwing, wine tours, to name a few. It’s all about connecting and embracing whatever the area has to offer. As for dining, some sites come with fully equipped kitchens if you don’t mind cooking, some offer the most demanding food junkie a fine dining experience to taste the flavour of fresh and local ingredients.

It’s good to know that just like all vacation options, glamping is for all budgets, from the most affordable to the most upscale. So, do your research and surely you will come up with the alternative vacation that works for you, your family or friends. I am doing mine and leaning very much towards a glamping experience. So, taking the liberty to conjugate the verb, I say: I am glamping this summer!