Crossing the Line

The French Institute Alliance Française (FIAF) launched their fall festival Crossing the Line yesterday in New York City. The festival runs September 17 to October 16 and features gallery displays and artistic performances from a variety of artists working in a variety of mediums.

Time Out New York calls it "one of the most exciting festivals to hit New York in years." With all performances and exhibits listed and described online, I'm feeling just as excited about what this festival has to offer in the coming month.

FIAF says that this years' festival "presents diverse and dynamic new work from significant artists who are revolutionizing artistic practices on both sides of the Atlantic." Broken into three major categories, Fiction and Non-Fiction, Lecture/Performance, and Endurance/Resistance/Inspiration, this festival really goes all-out in its effort to represent both compelling and varied artistic forms.

You can view all the featured artists and their work in this pdf brochure:
http://www.fiaf.org/crossingtheline/2011/documents/FIAF-CTL11-Festival-Brochure.pdf


And here is a list of the artists I'm looking very forward to seeing:

Chong Gon Byun: A Layer of the #1L at The Invisible Dog Art Center. September 17 to November 6
Cost: Free
Byun is a Korean mixed-media artists who gives life to old and discarded objects by using them to create new sculptures and designs. These designs are used to explore the clash between post-industrial civilization and modern consumerist culture.


Ralph Lemon: A Paradance: The Inherent Protest and Émigré Nature of Performance (And How It Could Belong Nowhere) at Tinker Auditorium. October 6, 7:30 p.m.
Cost: Non-members $15 in advance, $20 at the door
Lemon is a dancer, choreographer, storyteller and visual artist. Through these art forms Lemon will create a unique performance for Crossing the Line, addressing social and political issues with his work.


Faustin Linyekula/ Studios Kabako: More More More... Future at The Kitchen. October 12 to the 15, 8 p.m.
Cost: $15
Linyekula is a choreographer and director from the Democratic Republic of Congo. This show will feature provocative performances reflecting the DRC's sociopolitical and cultural history, as well as its current national struggles.

Amelie Chabannes: Intimate Immensity and Lagerstatten at the Stephan Stoyanov Gallery. October 12 to the 16.
Cost: Free
Chabannes uses a mixed-media installation to explore the complexity of the human being. With a staged archeological dig, she investigates philosophical and psychoanalytical frameworks specific to the "person."


While those are just the highlights I've penned into my schedule book, there are so many more talented and interesting artists filling up this festival. Check them out!