Agenda

Experience the season’s noteworthy events and festivals of fashion, theatre, arts and design. By Juliette Baxter

AGENDA

Large-scale polychromic sculptures offer bold contrast to black-and-white murals depicting an emotional crowd. Nicolas Party, Head, 2021. Private collection, courtesy of Xavier Hufkens, Brussels. © Nicolas Party. Photo: Rebecca Fanuele “Legend of the Dragon.” Guo Pei autumn/winter 2012 collection. Courtesy of the artist. ©Guo Pei/Asian Couture Federation. Photo: Lian Xu

MONTREAL LIFE OF THE PARTY

February 12 – October 16

If Swiss-born contemporary artist Nicolas Party is not on your radar yet, he soon will be. For his first solo exhibition in Canada, Party’s fantastical colourdrenched paintings, painted sculptures and installations are being showcased at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. On view are his massive oil pastel murals, created in situ, alongside a curated selection of works from the museum’s permanent collection. The nature-themed show — “L’heure mauve” — is a nod to the iconic painting by Ozias Leduc that references the fleeting purple haze of twilight hour. Quite apropos to Party’s penchant for depicting the enigmatic beauty of the natural world. mbam.qc.ca

SAN FRANCISCO COUTURE GOLD

April 16 – September 5

Guo Pei, China’s first couturier, has been designing since the early ’90s, but the moment she first wowed the Western couture scene was in 2015, at the Met Gala. That was where pop star Rihanna made her appearance, clad in Guo’s magnificent embroidered golden yellow gown. Since then, there have been books, extensive media coverage and documentaries about the Beijing-born designer. Now, Guo has the distinction of having designed the first clothing piece to be auctioned by Sotheby’s as a work of art rather than a collector’s item. It took five years to complete Guo’s traditional Chinese bridal dress, handsewn with gold thread and 30 stitching techniques. More than 80 of this master couturier’s stunning designs are on exhibit at the Legion of Honor fine arts museum in Lincoln Park. legionofhonor.famsf.org

James McAvoy shifts roles, from playing Professor X in the X-Men film series to taking on the lead for Cyrano de Bergerac, Stateside. Photo: Marc Brenner Gray Rock Contemplating Its Ancestral Wisdom, 2020. Oil on canvas. Joseph Tisiga “Plastic: Remaking Our World” showcases examples of this contentious material, including the mass-produced Blow inflatable armchair, which offered affordable, playful seating options in the 1960s. Jonathan de Pas, Donato D’Urbino, Paolo Lomazzi, Carla Scolari, N270/Blow, PVC, 1967, produced by Zanotta © Vitra Design Museum. Photo: Jürgen Hans

NEW YORK THE NEW ROMANTIC

April 5 – May 22

The New York theatre scene is back in full swing, and this contemporary version of Cyrano de Bergerac at the Brooklyn Academy of Music is generating serious buzz. It lends the classic love story a modern twist plus a new tempo, replete with beatboxing and rap. Cyrano’s poetic way with words is the star of the show, but actor James McAvoy’s magnetic stage presence brings the role to life. And though better known for his screen work in Hollywood blockbusters, including his portrayal of Charles Xavier in the X-Men series, McAvoy shines as he delivers Cyrano’s words with raw intensity and emotional grace. bam.org

VANCOUVER A VISUAL FEAST

May 5–8

On hold since 2019, the largest art fair in western Canada makes its long-awaited return to the Vancouver Convention Centre this spring, featuring 100–plus artists and about 1,200 pieces of art from more than 20 countries. A VIP preview kicks off Art Vancouver 2022, followed by four days of exhibits, speakers, live demonstrations, art classes and guided tours. Anticipate works by British-born, Vancouver-based Paul Ygartua, known for his oversized abstract murals, including World United, commissioned for the United Nations Pavilion at World Expo 86, as well as multidisciplinary artist Joseph Tisiga, a member of the Kaska Dena Nation, who won the 2021 Yukon Prize for Visual Arts. artvancouver.net

WEIL AM RHEIN, GERMANY BREAK THE MOULD

March 26 – September 4

Just across the German border from Basel, the celebrated Vitra Design Museum in the town of Weil am Rhein is itself a destination at any time of year. But what would make your visit a must to this Frank Lloyd Wright–designed, privately owned venue devoted to elevating furniture and interior design is the thought-provoking exhibition it mounted this spring. Curated with the Victoria & Albert Museum, “Plastic: Remaking Our World” chronicles how this versatile malleable material played a major role in shaping our daily lives, past and present. It also sets out the challenges facing designers, scientists and politicians seeking to utilize plastic in more sustainable ways for the future. design-museum.de