LANDMARK EXHIBITION WILLIAM KENTRIDGE: IN PRAISE OF SHADOWS TRAVELS TO THE MFAH, SURVEYING THE CELEBRATED SOUTH AFRICAN ARTIST’S WORK

Kathleen Coleman, Arts Editor

We are enormously pleased to present William Kentridge’s expansive, thought-provoking work,” said Gary Tinterow, MFAH Director and Margaret Alkek Williams Chair. “His has been an essential voice in bringing forward the struggles of South Africa to address universal issues of history, power, and society.”

The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston will host the acclaimed exhibition William Kentridge: In Praise of Shadows, from June 25 to September 10, 2023. Organized in cooperation with The Broad, Los Angeles, where it opened in November 2022, the exhibition surveys 35 years of the celebrated South African artist’s career, and features more than 80 works touching on every aspect of Kentridge’s wide-ranging investigations in the visual arts, film, and theater.

Born in Johannesburg in 1955, where he continues to live and work today, Kentridge has dedicated much of his career to exploring the social and political conditions of his home country, from the Apartheid era (1948–91), through South Africa’s transition to desegregation and democratic elections (1991–94), and to its present-day realities. Featuring his world-renowned charcoal drawings and animated films, as well as prints, bronzes, tapestries, and theater models, William Kentridge: In Praise of Shadows uses the paradoxes of light and shadow to directly engage with the aftermath of colonialism, the recording and memory of historical narratives, and how the artist’s studio can disrupt the certainties of long-held belief systems.

“We are thrilled to be able to exhibit William Kentridge’s expansive work in Houston,” said Gary Tinterow, Director, the Margaret Alkek Williams Chair, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. “His inimitable art remains so compelling and urgent because it demonstrates the universal need to address inequity and social justice everywhere throughout the world, not just in his native South Africa.

Lulled by the beauty of his drawing and the immersive nature of his installations, visitors will be amazed by Kentridge’s ability to provoke revelations about the complexity of human nature.”

“William Kentridge brings a profound humanism and collaborative spirit to every aspect of his work,” added Alison de Lima Greene, the MFAH’s Isabel Brown Wilson curator of modern and contemporary art. “He surveys the world around us with an attentive and critical eye, uncovering stories that are at once viscerally personal and universally relatable.”

Organized thematically and chronologically, the Houston presentation opens with Kentridge’s depictions of Johannesburg and introduces his most famous protagonist, the industrial magnate Soho Eckstein, through drawings and films that range from 1989 to 2020.

Subsequent galleries include works related to Kentridge’s theater and opera productions, including his restaging of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s The Magic Flute, represented by a model theater and preparatory drawings from 2005. Works addressing the toxic legacy of colonialism and propaganda occupy the next gallery, which is then followed by 7 Fragments for Georges Méliès; Day for Night; and Journey to the Moon (2003), an immersive environment made up of complementary projections that reveal how everyday experience, experimentation, and associative play a critical role in Kentridge’s art making. The exhibition concludes with KABOOM!, a video installation from 2018, as well as recent works that reaffirm the creative act as means of political engagement and transformative knowledge.

YOUR ULTIMATE GUIDE TO ASIAN RESTAURANT MONTH: EXPLORE CUISINES, EARN POINTS, AND WIN PRIZES

By Alexandria Jack, Culinary Writer

Ahe month of May is Asian American Pacific Islander Month (AAPI) Heritage Month and the Houston Asian Chamber of Commerce is cele- brating their third annual Asian Restau- rant Month in partnership with Houston First Corporation. This year the event has grown to more than one hundred restaurants to try during your journey through the ten plus ethnic cuisines to explore. From now until May 31st, you have the opportunity to take advantage of the Asian Restaurant Month digital pass, which offers not only a comprehensive directory of participating restaurants but also the ability to earn points and redeem them for exciting prizes by simply checking in at each location. With the pass easily downloadable on your phone, you can browse different cuisines using the filters or find restaurants that are conveniently located nearby. It's a great way to discover new dining experiences and have some fun along the way!

To assist you on your Asian Restaurant Month journey, Houston Style Magazine is providing a guide to get you started.

Dumplings - Trendy Dumpling

(@trendydumpling)

3285 Sw Fwy. Houston, TX 77027

If you are looking for a dumpling ex- perience, Trendy Dumpling is the place to go. They are mostly known for their many varieties of dumplings like Soup Dumplings, Crispy Bottom Bao, and Truffle Soup Bao. Each one of their dumpling varieties are hand made in the restaurant. They even have hand pulled noodles available. Make sure you add chili oil to add a bit of spice to every bite. The dumplings are just a small portion of their menu. Be sure to try some of the other flavorful dishes on the menu.

Korean BBQ InspiredChi’Lantro (@chilantro)

1324 N Shepherd Dr. Houston, TX 77008

This Austin-based Korean BBQ Inspired is now in Houston. They are most famously known for their Shark Tank deal making dish, the original Kimchi Fries. Visit this fast-casual restaurant to try their signature bowls, Ssams, and more. Choose from their K-Pop Chicken, Korean BBQ Steak, Marinated Tofu or Spicy Pork for your meats and then add on their Korean-Mexican toppings and sauces to add to your custom bowl. They also have delicious shareables like the Chi’Jeu Queso or Guacamole and Chips.

Filipino - Be More Pacific: Filipino Kitchen and Bar(@bemore-

pacific)

506 Yale St. Suite E, Houston, Tx 77007 Filipino food is one of the “Original Fu- sion Cuisines” bring together influences from Spanish, Malaysian, Japanese, Indian and American cuisines.

Here at Be More Pacific: Filipino Kitchen and Bar they are bringing a wide variety of traditional Filipino dishes like Pork Sisig, Lechon Kawali, Lumpia and Panchit Bihon. They also offer the famous Kamayan Feast Experience which has things like Marinated Ribs, Shrimp, Lumpia, and many other things on top of a banana leaf.

Adele James is addressing a colorism controversy over a Netflix docuseries in which she stars as Cleopatra.

"Queen Cleopatra," which is executive produced and narrated by Jada Pinkett Smith, portrays the ruler of Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt as a woman of color.

Egyptian government officials have criticized casting James, who is biracial, in the role. The actress addressed the backlash during a recent appearance on "The Wayne Ayers Podcast."

"Blackwashing isn't a thing, is it?" she said. "I find it sad that people are either so self-loathing or so threatened by Blackness that they feel the need to do that, to separate Egypt from the rest of the continent."The debate is not new.

Cleopatra has been played by a variety of women, including Elizabeth Taylor in the 1963 film.

In 2020, there were complaints of "whitewashing" (when white actors are cast to play people of color) with news that Israeli-born actress and