AGITA FLAMENCO
A passionate Flamenco performance will take place on 4 October 2011 at the New Zealand Pavilion in Venice and will feature Nelson-born artist and poet - Charles Olsen .
The name of this recital “Agita Flamenco” or “Flamenco Shake” is the title of a poem by Colombian poet Lilián Pallares. It expresses both a reverence for tradition and the need to shake it to know it’s still alive. New Zealand poet and artist, Charles Olsen, along with Lilián Pallares, will recite their poems inspired by the traditional music of the Spanish gypsies, flamenco, accompanied by renowned flamenco pianist Pablo Rubén Maldonado, who will also perform pieces from his latest album “Fuera de la Realidad”.
One of Olsen’s poems “The dance of the brushes” was inspired by his short film of the same name which features Pablo Rubén Maldonado’s music and was awarded second prize in the Flamenco Short Film Festival, Madrid 2010. Olsen said ‘when I saw the photos of the installation in Venice, the cross-over between Maori, Spain, Keats, and piano music, for me it meshed with what I’ve been doing these past few years and is the perfect setting to present the premiere of this recital.’
The piano is a relatively new instrument in flamenco and Pablo Rubén Maldonado is one of a new generation of flamenco pianists who is currently in great demand performing worldwide with internationally renowned flamenco artists. Described by the Washington Post as a groundbreaking artist and charismatic performer, his first release "Almanjáyar" received international acclaim.
Flamenco is passion, art, a cultural expression that runs through the blood that keeps it alive through the generations. ‘We wish to share our poetic visions of flamenco, as outsiders finding new forms of expression, new ways to experience the world we live in,’ comments Olsen who will also recite his poem in Maori, “He Kongakonga Moemoeā” translated from the original “Dream Fragment” by his father the Reverend Barry Olsen. ‘In flamenco people talk of duende, an indefinable moment when the music and song touch the soul of everyone present like a spirit passing through. The Maori woman who appears in the poem is like a life-giving duende passing through my dream.’
The performance will take place in the exhibition “On first looking into Chapman’s Homer” by Michael Parekowhai, in the New Zealand pavilion of the Venice Biennale on 4th October at 4pm.
Poetry recital with Flamenco Piano in the Venice Biennial 2011
Charles Olsen, Lilián Pallares and Pablo Rubén Maldonado
This performance has been made possible with the support of deflamenco.com
Where: The New Zealand pavilion in the exhibition “On first looking into Chapman’s Homer” by Michael Parekowhai. Palazzo Loredan dell’ Ambasciatore, Calle dei Cerchieri, Dorsoduro, Venezia
When: 4th October 2011 at 4pm
About the artists
Charles Olsen (b. Nelson, New Zealand, 1969)
His paintings have been exhibited in Wellington, Paris, Madrid, Barcelona, Oporto, and the Saatchi Gallery in London. He also works with photography and video and his short film “The Dance of the Brushes”, which mixes together flamenco dance, painting and nature, was awarded second prize in the I Festival Flamenco de Cortometrajes in Madrid 2010 and was presented in the Flamenco Festival of Nîmes in France in 2011. He has been invited to recite his poetry in poetry festivals in Colombia and Spain and his book of poetry, paintings, photographs and drawings “Sr Citizen” (Ediciones Amargord) was published earlier this year. His poetry has been published in Blackmail Press 28.
charlesolsen.es
pensamientoslentos.blogspot.com
Lilián Pallares (b. Barranquilla, Colombia, 1976)
Recently selected in a list of the ten best young writers of Latin America by About.com, New York, Pallares is a writer of poetry, short stories, chronicles, film scripts and stand-up comedy. Her passion for Colombian folklore, African roots and love of words was the motivation behind her show “Afrolyrics” which brings together poetry and world percussion. She won the Poetry competition of the University of the North, Barranquilla, in 1999 and in 2007 her short stories “Reflexiones del Va y Ven” and “Servicio Anónimo” won first prizes in competitions organised by the magazine Toumai and cultural association Fusionarte respectively. She has published a collection of chronicles and short stories “Ciudad Sonámbula” (Editorial Aldevara, 2010) and “Voces Mudas” (TwentyFourSeven, 2011) a collection of her poetry including a CD with compositions by Colombian percussionist Shangó Dely.
ciudadsonambula.blogspot.com
Pablo Rubén Maldonado (Granada, Spain)
He comes from a gypsy family of musicians which includes Antonio Cujón, founder of Zambra Granadina, Pepe Albaycín, the charismatic flamenco singer, the emblematic José Carmona and the internationally renowned Mario Maya. He was awarded Best Composition for Flamenco Dance in the 10th annual Dance and Choreography Competition in the Albeniz Theatre, Madrid, 2007. Pablo has collabrated with numerous Flamenco dance companies and artists throughout Spain: Pura Pasión under the direction of Cristóbal Reyes, Nuevo Ballet Español, Antonio and Manuel Reyes, Juan Andrés Maya, Daniel Doña, Maria Juncal, Marcos Flores, Belén Lopez, la Truco, Rafaela Carrasco, Farruquito, to name a few. Pablo’s musical spectrum has been enriched by musical styles such as Afro-Caribbean, Argentinean Tango, Jazz and Funk, all of which add to the expressive palette of his work.
www.pablorubenmaldonado.eu
