In the many genres that documentary can have, music documentary or ‘rockumentary’ is for many spectators among their favorites. As the IDFA festival chooses to host directors of films around subjects of which  (recent) political issues, the ecology, freedom of speech, free media and gender or human rights issues are most frequent, the music documentary still stands out as having a storyline to guarantee a more careless and cheerful night out. Although on some occasions the quality or outcome of a film within this genre can prove to be disappointing, most of them are worth while viewing in a true film hall with adequate sound facilities, used at IDFA.

As the 27th IDFA festival is coming to an end it is time to analyze the successes of this event. Noteworthy is the fact that the amounts of people attending the screenings and also the professionals engaged in and present at the festival have once again risen, compared to previous editions of IDFA.

Vivian Maier’s life and ‘work’ ( she was a nanny most of her professional life and never sold a single photograph) is of stunning beauty – also seen the fact that she has never received an education in this artistic field and never exhibited nor received any further professional advice and funding what so ever. Apart from her photographic work, it is advisable to see the documentary by John Maloof who made it possible for a world audience to discover both her work and life after she passed away in poverty a few years ago.

Not many of the people who came to visit at the special opening of KYAS ART SALON, knew the difference between a gallery and an artist and residency project space. Noteworthy is the fact that Amsterdam is home to the Ateliers or Rijksacademie apart from having its own Rietveld art academy and the film academy, of which the first mentioned is the only real artist in residency project known to the general public. Setting up and being successful in curating and managing an artist in residency privately has proven to be quite complicated over the course of decades. Across the world institutionalized versions of all genres work pretty well and make sure that talented artists of all types and origins can work and travel, exchange experiences and make a living for themselves.

A team effort of 50 years.

The city of Antwerp, Belgium, celebrates the 50 year anniversary of its Fashion Academy along with the 350 year anniversary of the Royal Arts Academy. Foremost known for its old masters in painting, recently more established as the place where trendy upbeat music is created, there can be no discussing that Fashion Design is the most pivotal trademark within the city’s art range today.

Best of both worlds in a woman’s mind.

If a great shirt and a decent pair of shoes are the items a man cannot afford to miss out on in his wardrobe, we could say that a simple but effective pencil skirt is the item that will make a woman’s life a lot easier. That is if she is able to find a suitable pencil skirt, both elegant and sexy, without being cheap nor hyper expensive or part of a mass production chain.

VUKUKHANYE-RISING UP

Photographer: Matthew Willman.

Perspektivet Museum in the town of Tromso, way over the arctic circle, have made a truly daring and beautiful exhibition of a project of this talented photographer, which should as whole be seen by far more people in the world. CULTJA came to visit the museum Perspektivet this summer, which will in the future put together even more daring exhibitions. Hopefully, this one by Matthew Willman gets to see the light of day in various museums outside of Norway.