The Real Alcazar, Gallery Girl and Stanislaw Szukalski
Journal of an art translator – Week #3
/ 21st Jan / #ArtlifeMondays
#Throwback to February 2018 when I discovered the Real Alcázar of Sevilla.
I’ve been obsessed with Arabic geometrical patterns and design ever since I discovered them in Istanbul’s glorious mosques.
Applied to mosaics, ceramics, wooden structures, architecture, Islamic decorative art and the geometry of primary shapes is utterly satisfying to my eyes and my symmetry-loving brain!
Wes Anderson, geometry, fractals: I love you!
(I just looked whether an adjective for a symmetry-loving person existed, and the only answer was “yes, a weirdo”, thanks a lot, Google!)
Needless to say, the Real Alcázar proved extremely satisfying and humbling. This precise type of architecture is called Mudéjar and was heavily influenced by the passage of the Moors in the Iberian peninsula.
Trivia fact: this palace is still used by the royal family when they visit Sevilla.
Add to this beauty the opulence of nature, in its beautiful gardens of palm and orange trees, and you’ve got a happy Luna.
What’s your favourite architecture, pattern?
/ 22nd Jan / Article on Gallery Girl
I had the chance to exchange with the lovely London curator & art blogger Lizzy from @gallerygirlldn on the importance of translation in museums.
It was a great opportunity to speak of what goes on behind the scenes, as well as to give a few quick tips on how to successfully handle the translation of the material for an exhibition.
Thanks for lending me an ear, Lizzy.
“The art world exists beyond the borders of English-speaking countries, and with technology facilitating its reach to ever more inclusive audiences; a mono-linguistic approach to the art world is restricting its potential to thrive.”
“Contemporary art centres like Venice, Dubai, Basel and Hong Kong are all cities that speak an array of languages, so how do they cope?”
“The answer is in an often overlooked, but crucial contribution to the seemingly glamorous world of private views, gala dinners and glitter: translation.”
Get in touch with me if you need a hand with translating your exhibition materials.
Click here for the full article.
/ 23rd Jan / My set up
The ultimate ‘digital nomad’ starter pack, otherwise known as the ‘I’ve got my act together’ pack!
I love being able to work from anywhere.
Quite simply because I’m not always productive when most people are ‘supposed’ to be.
At 27 years old, I’ve lived in four different countries other than the one I was born in and I don’t think I will ever stop throwing myself into the unknown.
That’s where I’m comfortable.
Routine is what makes me anxious.
Indeed, it’s very important for me to be mobile (says the girl with the full 88-keys digital piano she’s managed to drag everywhere!!)
But I don’t want to comprise on comfort, I want to be healthy as long as possible, to continue working with people I love, discovering new cultures, travelling to new lands.
Yoga does help me stay mindful about the gargoyle-poses that we have when crunched over our laptops.
(Or ‘Gargoyle asana’ as Yoga Shred warrior @sadienardiniofficial says herself!)
However, these little beauties are really going to revolutionise my working station:
• A Nextstand stand to have my laptop at eye-level.
• An iclever wireless keyboard with an angle to be gentler for the wrists.
• And an Inphic wireless, silent mouse.
Busy co-working spaces already have enough relentless clicking!
Woop! I can’t wait to try them, next time I’m at the co-working space!
Do you have anything to improve your office ergonomics?
Give us your top tips!
/ 25th Jan / Stanislaw Szukalski, my type of artist
“Struggle: The life and lost art of Stanislaw Szukalski” (it’s on Netflix if you want to check it out) shines light on a forgotten Polish genius sculptor, humanist and visionary born in 1893.
He was a complete autodidact and never did what he was expected to do.
However, amongst many episodes which sparked controversy, he was appointed national sculptor in his home country in the late-1920s and considered the most talented sculptor of his generation.
His life’s work was destroyed in multiple bombings during WWII, and he went back to the US, his country of adoption, empty-handed and soon to be forgotten.
He was an advocate for diversity and passionate about indigenous art, which heavily influenced his most original pieces.
They look avant-garde and bold, even for today.
Otherwise, he was an eccentric who made up his own handwriting, his own language, and never stopped looking for the unique primal culture that could stitch together our modern, fragmented society.
He thought the answers were located on Easter island.
Of his love for the multiplicity of culture, he says “if you combine two, three nations, your heart is bigger. Your capacity to understand is deeper.”
In the documentary, there are many other quotes of his I realised that I lived by.
An exciting find, especially coming from Netflix.
I recommend it warmly!
Did you know about him? What do you think of his sculptures?