Culture et pop | ARTE

Kultur und Pop | ARTE

Culture | ARTE

Cultura y pop | ARTE

Kultura | ARTE

Cultura | ARTE

Addressing the issue of exploitation and power relations in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, Tracks East focuses on Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia.

Hierarchies – Who’s in Charge?

Addressing the issue of exploitation and power relations in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. 

Tracks East

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As Spain is the guest of honour at the Frankfurt Book Fair, the world’s largest, Twist meets a host of Spanish writers: Irene Vallejo, Aroa Morena Durán and Kiko Amat, as well as  Paco Roca, an author of graphic novels.

Why Do We Tell Stories?

As Spain is the guest of honour at the Frankfurt Book Fair, the world’s largest, Twist meets a host of Spanish writers.

Twist - Spain Writers Special

Twist goes to Pristina for Manifesta 14, the European biennial, to meet Kosovo's artists. Hana Zeqa, stylist and costume designer, works on structural fashion pieces, capable of changing shape and colour. Flaka Haliti has erected an imposing metal structure, which mixes flames and clouds. Painter and photographer Vigan Nimani crisscrosses Kosovo with his camera and captures buildings that will then inspire him in his paintings. 

We also spotlight the small island of Procida, in the Bay of Naples. It's the most densely populated island in the Mediterranean and is this year's Italian Capital of Culture. Twist meets Agostino Riitano, manager of the Procida 2022 project, to talk about the environmental and cultural impact of the event.

Pristina and Procida: Sustainable Culture

Twist goes to Pristina for Manifesta 14, the European biennial, to meet Kosovo's artists.

Twist

Federico Fellini is renowned for his extravagant productions. On the sets, there was often a mixture of creativity and chaos. But why did the filmmaker make his actors recite numbers and pasta recipes rather than scripts?

Gymnastics

Federico Fellini's creative process was chaotic but legendary

Carbonara Alla Fellini

At the first hint of sadness, out comes the pints of icecream and the sad power ballads. But why is listening to sad music our idea of a good time? Does sad music make us happy?

Why is listening to sad music our idea of a good time?

Why Do We Love Sad Music?

We've all experienced lockdown in the past year, but one artist has been doing his own self-imposed lockdowns for years. For Abraham Poincheval, confinement is just another form of artistic expression.

For Abraham Poincheval, confinement is just another form of artistic expression

Confined for Art

Would you attend a gallery exhibition with the paintings turned to face the wall? Probably not. And yet curators find a huge wealth of information about the painting based off of the clues left on the back of the canvas and its frame.

Would you attend a gallery exhibition with the paintings turned to face the wall? Probably not...

The Picture Behind the Picture

When you go into space, you can exercise, play tennis, fly things, but also create art. So, are we more inspired by weightlessness? What if the next Leonardo da Vinci was an astronaut?

What if the next Leonardo da Vinci was an astronaut?

Art Conquers Space

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Arts

Reggae emerged in the 1960s and in 1985 Wayne Smith's Under Mi Sleng Teng revolutionised the genre. But the riddim of this famous song didn't come from the island - it was written by a Japanese woman, Okuda Hiroko, an employee at Casio.

Japanese Regqae

The riddim of the revolutionary song Under Mi Sleng Teng was created by a Casio employee from Japan. 

Can identities be forced, discarded, changed or revived? In the USSR, national identities were a political instrument. Millions of people were resettled, deported, and Russified. Today, the multi-ethnic social fabric of post-soviet nations harbours explosive tensions and the Ukraine war is opening up old wounds. What does identity mean for the next generation?

Identity

The multi-ethnic social fabric of post-soviet nations harbours explosive tensions and the Ukraine war is opening up old wounds. What does identity mean for the next generation?

Have you ever wondered why pop songs sometimes sound a little too familiar? Welcome to the world of pop-recycling where borrowing, sampling and interpolation are the order of the day. Featuring interviews with Placebo, Ed Sheeran, Charlie XCX and Lauv.

Have you ever wondered why pop songs sometimes sound a little too familiar? Welcome to the world of pop-recycling. 

Pop Music: The Great Recycling Business

Film director Jean Boullet was obsessed with Dracula. The vampire gained ground in popular culture in the Paris underground scene of the 50s, and Boullet was determined to create a film that captured the true creepy essence of Dracula. He decided to use shadow puppets, but the work would never see the light of day.

Film director Jean Boullet was obsessed with Dracula, even getting surgery to look like him

The Man Who Wanted to Be Dracula

Eight up and coming female rap artists from around the world tell their story and share their music.

Women in Rap

Girlhood

In 2019, Les Indes galantes was performed at the Opera de la Bastille in Paris, hip hop style. This baroque opera, composed by Jean-Philippe Rameau, is an ode to colonial exoticism, and its reworking is the brainchild of Bintou Dembélé, the first black woman to choreograph a ballet at the Paris Opera.

In 2019, Les Indes galantes was performed at the Opera de la Bastille in Paris, hip hop style

Operatic Hip Hop: Dance Decolonised

How can an artist unblock writer's block and free themselves of the fear of the blank page? Producer and musician Brian Eno has found the solution: a card game. Called Oblique Strategie", it gave artists inspiration when they had none. David Bowie composed his unforgettable Heroes thanks to this very strange game.

David Bowie composed his unforgettable Heroes thanks to this very strange game

The Game That Saved David Bowie

Pop culture

Who are we? And how do we want to live? Streetphilosophy looks for answers to life's big question on the streets of Berlin.

Streetphilosophy

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Is lazy good? Ronja meets ex-football player Kevin Pannewitz, who was about to break through into the Bundesliga, but was kicked out by the clubs for lack of discipline. Today he plays in the district league and is a happy father. Does he still feel like he missed something because of his lack of work ethic? Laziness can have meaning: it's a form of resistance, says philosopher Marilena Berends. It's a radical act against our high-speed society and the never-ending drive for production and growth. 

Ronja meets ex-player Kevin Pannewitz, who was kicked out of professional football due to lack of discipline

Being Lazy is Awesome

"The aim of education is to form beings adapted to a system," said philosopher Johannes Winter. But Rousseau convinced us that children must be free to develop as they wish. Can we educate entire societies? Ronja discusses the idea with a lifeguard from Berlin, Extinction Rebellion activists and a couple of artists.

Can we educate entire societies? Ronja discusses the idea with a lifeguard from Berlin, Extinction Rebellion activists and a couple of artists

The Importance of Being Educated

What does it mean to be a man in the modern world? Jan goes in search of answers on the streets of Berlin where he meets barbecue grillers, American football players and queer foresters.

Be a Man! - But How?

What does it mean to be a man in the modern world? Streetphilosophy's Jan goes in search of answers on the streets of Berlin where he meets barbecue grillers, American football players and queer foresters.

What if our lives were governed by the supernatural? Why do so many people feel the urge to connect with gods, angels and energies? The occult doesn't have a great reputation, but how bad is it really? In this episode, Jan searches for answers to his metaphysical doubts.

What if our lives were governed by the supernatural?

The Occult: is the Supernatural a Natural Part of Life?

Working to live or living to work. In a capitalist society characterised by ever-increasing mechanisation, what meaning can we give to our daily grind? Ronja von Rönne finds out by meeting lawyers, circus performers and old-time taxi drivers.

Working to live or living to work. In a capitalist society characterised by ever-increasing mechanisation, what meaning can we give to our daily grind?

Living for Work

How does sex, identity and self-expression interlace? We explore this muli-faceted question through the lives of multiple Berliners, starting with four voguing performers who've created a safe space for themselves, and an asexual model who posts sexy pictures online. Next we visit a hypersexual couple and discover puppy play with Marion and Leo.

How does sex, identity and self-expression interlace? Exploring this muli-faceted question through the lives of multiple Berliners

Embrace Your Sexuality!

Ronja tries to find out what humour really is by attempting to be a stand-up comedian. Along the way she gets advice from Polish comedian Kat Nip, satirical political party Die Partei, and talks to philosopher Marco Weimer about the subversive nature of humour.

Ronja tries to find out what humour really is by attempting to be a stand-up comedian.

Find the Funny Side!

Ideas

With all the religious wars, the 17th century was a tense time in Europe. And in art one theme caught everyone’s imagination: the Virgin Mary.

Assumption of the Virgin - Nicolas Poussin

Look But Don't Touch

From an incredibly varied selection of 19th century postcards, the Paris of the Belle Epoque (1871 – 1914) comes to life. Street-photography captured Parisians from all walks of life and conveyed the optimism and elegance of the period.

From an incredibly varied selection of 19th century postcards, the Paris of the Belle Epoque (1871 – 1914) comes to life.

Paris in the Belle Epoque

Christian philosophy is based on two abstract and complex concepts, but art can simplify them: Paradise, where everything was good and is lost, and Hell, which is so scary that no one wants to go there. And in between there is…us!

The Garden of Earthly Delights - Hieronymus Bosch

Probably inspired by the Mona Lisa, the great renaissance artist Raphael painted this portrait of a young woman. But why is she holding a mythical beast in her hands?

Young Women with Unicorn - Raphael

Probably inspired by the Mona Lisa, the great renaissance artist Raphael painted this portrait of a young woman, but why is she holding a mythical beast in her hands?

The painter Artemisia Gentileschi was rediscovered in the 1970s by pioneers of gender studies in art. A simple question arose: why are so few great masters women?

Judith and Holofernes - Artemisia Gentileschi

Did you know that the word digital comes from the Latin "digitalis" which means "the size of a finger"? We use it to talk about the digital world, because in the old days we used to count with our fingers! But what has this got to do with Leonardo da Vinci’s St John the Baptist?

St John the Baptist - Leonardo da Vinci

In Christianity, women saints are usually young and beautiful, and they have to keep some old, powerful man at bay who won't take no for an answer, usually meeting a grisly end. Saint Agatha is no exception: According to legend her breasts were cut off with pliers as a torture.

Saint Agatha - Francisco de Zurbarán

Martyr usually meet grisly ends and Saint Agatha is no exception: According to legend her breasts were cut off with pliers as a torture.

From The Birth of Venus to sensual shampoo ads, it seems as if everyone has always been excited by the image of a wet woman... How weird is that?

Woman Bathing - Rembrandt

Goya died old, deaf and somewhat forgotten, but he was a pioneering artist of his time and a precursor to the artistic revolution of the 19t century.

La maja vestida - Francisco de Goya

La Nouvelle Vague is the cinephile movement for cinephiles. If you missed the boat: at the turn of the 1950s, Truffaut, Chabrol, Godard, Rivette, Rohmer and others revolutionised French cinema. 

La Nouvelle Vague

La Nouvelle Vague is the cinephile movement for cinephiles

We are in Greece, 5th century BC, in August and in the midst of the Greco-Persian wars. Xerxes and the Persian army are advancing towards Athens but they are met by Leonidas and his 300 Spartans who decide to fight to the death at Thermopylae. Does Jacques Louis David’s painting of the Spartans contain a hint of homoeroticism?

Leonidas at Thermopylae - Jacques-Louis David

Does Jacques Louis David’s painting of the Spartans contain a hint of homoeroticism?

Is Saint Thomas' touching of Jesus' wounds homoerotic? It's certainly in stark contrast to Mary Magdalene, who is told not to touch him and spends the rest of her life living in a cave.

The incredulity of Saint Thomas - Caravaggio

Is Saint Thomas' touching of Jesus' wounds homoerotic?

Look but Don't Touch

In Ovid's Metamorphoses, Jupiter transforms into a swan to have sex with Leda. In this work, the painter takes the opportunity to explore the sensuality of the encounter, working with colours and fabrics to convey pleasure.

Leda and the Swan by Paolo Veronese

The painter explores the sensuality of the encounter between Leda and Jupiter

Religion has played a major role in the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill supports the war - Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov is sending Muslim soldiers to Ukraine in a "holy war". We meet the Ukrainian muslim bloggers. Artist Masha Maroz takes us on a journey through the ancestral rites of Polesia and Mihaela Drăgan invokes Roma superstitions about witches.

Myth, Religion and War

Religion has played a key role in the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

In this episode, Ronja explores what can give us hope for the future even when things seem bleak. At Leopoldplatz, she meets one of the most hopeful people in Berlin: DJ Bombay sells curries from his food truck and is always in a good mood. "I've been through so many crises in my life that nothing can knock me out," he says. Then there's  boxer Mazen, who loses every fight and still goes on. Nun Sister Mechthildis meanwhile is full of hope and happiness, living away from the hustle and bustle of life in her convent.

Don't Lose Hope!

In this episode, Ronja explores what can give us hope for the future even when things seem bleak.

Written in the Middle Ages, the accounts of the life and death of the saints occupy an important place in the Catholic tradition, especially accounts of their torture... JK, this is actually an episode about BDSM. But no worries! We're just doing soft stuff.

San Sebastian by Perugino

Is this an episode about Catholic saints or BDSM? Maybe... both?

In the 1980s, a Japanese television channel financed the restoration of the Sistine Chapel and during that restoration, workers discovered the garish colours and parts of the body that had since been covered up. So which version of the painting is more important to preserve?

Original Sin by Michelangelo

The Sistine Chapel could have looked very different...

Women who play men's roles while singing high notes may seem suprising but in opera, it's tradition. Handel, Mozart, and Bellini all wrote roles for men, to be played by women. So how does the opera deal with questions of gender?

Does the Voice Have a Gender?

Handel, Mozart, and Bellini all wrote roles for men, to be played by women

An author once described this work as a portrait of a woman done by a painter who had forgotten to paint the feet, legs, thighs, stomach, hips, chest, hands, arms, shoulders, neck and head. 

The Origin of the World by Gustave Courbet

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All the laughs you hear in the background on television come from the same device, the Laff Box, invented in the 1950s. It's a sound that's become the hallmark of cheesy daytime TV, as well as iconic sitcoms like Friends. The technique has now fallen out of favour, but for decades it was a TV staple.

Canned Laughter on TV

It's a sound that's become the hallmark of cheesy daytime TV.

A funny person is usually a disturbed person, according to 34% of people surveyed by the Humor Research Laboratory. The stereotypes of the sad clown, depressed comedian, and tortured artist endure, and pop culture is full of recent tragic examples. Are funny people sad?

Are Funny People Sad?

The stereotypes of the sad clown, depressed comedian, and tortured artist endure.

The Codex Seraphinianus is the most mysterious book in the world, full of bizarre drawings and an indecipherable language. It won over prestigious fans such as Roland Barthes, Italo Calvino, Federico Fellini and Tim Burton. Published in 1981, the Codex has become an object of worship: some try to decipher its language and give it meaning; others appreciate it simply because it represents the greatest surrealist work ever made. ARTE asks its author, Luigi Serafini, what's behind his enigmatic work.

The Strangest Book in the World

The Codex Seraphinianus is full of bizarre drawings and an indecipherable language.

Ex-footballer turned anti-poverty activist Neven Subotić had the world at his feet. But it wasn't enough. He knew something was missing and turned to books to help him find meaning in his life. What he read changed his outlook, his way of thinking, and his future. 

In the Words of Ex-Footballer Neven Subotic

Ex-footballer turned anti-poverty activist Neven Subotić discusses the books that changed his life.

The Book That Changed My Life

In Kyiv's Closer Club, Ukrainians are trying to preserve a bit of normality in wartime. In the past, dance fans from across Europe made the pilgrimage to the Ukrainian capital's legendary techno nights. Every December, the Black Factory Night takes place, and this winter is no different. If there’s a blackout, they’re got generators at the ready.

Blackout

In Kyiv's Closer Club, Ukrainians are trying to preserve a bit of normality in wartime as the country experiences blackouts.

Humanity is addicted to lighting up the night, and that comes at a huge energy cost, and a cost to wildlife. Twist meets artists inspired by the nocturnal world: photographer Oskar Schlechter, musician Pascal Schumacher and light sculptor Giny Vos. Finally, visual artist Anne Imhof grants us an exclusive interview.

The Power of Darkness

Twist meets artists inspired by the nocturnal world.

The Bangladesh cultural scene is dynamic, creative and on the up. With fashion designer Bibi Russell, art patron Nadia Samdani, the Britto Arts Trust and photographers Shahidul Alam and Munem Wasif.

The Bangladesh cultural scene is dynamic, creative and on the up. 

Booming Bangladesh

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What do we remember? And how do we live with our memories? With a major exhibition at the Carnavalet Museum in Paris about Marcel Proust, Twist investigates remembrance culture.

Remembrance Culture

After the fall of the Iron Curtain in 1989, it seemed as if borders might disappear. Since the beginning of the 21st century, however, the opposite has been the case. Why is this? And how are artists reacting? Bianca Hauda goes to Berlin in search of answers.

Walls, Fences, Barbed wire: The border is back!

Since the beginning of the 21st century, borders are back. Why is this? And how are artists reacting? Bianca Hauda goes to Berlin in search of answers.

Women artists and thinkers give their view on women's progress. Alice Schwarzer, French icon of the women's movement, talks to us about 4,000 years of patriarchy and why women are still there are too nice. Viennese choreographer Florentina Holzinger doesn't give a damn about body norms and classic images of women. María Hesse, an author from Madrid, explores female sexuality.

Women artists and thinkers give their view on women's progress

Women's Rights in 2022: Progress or Backslide?

Up until the Ukraine war, Viktor Orban had a close relationship with Vladimir Putin: both wanted to put their countries first and they rejected Western values. Orban shapes Hungary's cultural policies based this vision of nationalism and his "illiberal democracy". The Liget Budapest, an ambitious and controversial project, is a prime example: this expensive expression of soft power is also an exercise in nation-building.

The Fist and the Paint Brush

How Hungary's authoritarian government is using art as a vehicle for consolidating prestige and power...

Have you ever wondered why pop songs sometimes sound a little too familiar? Welcome to the world of pop-recycling. Featuring interviews with Placebo, Ed Sheeran, Charlie XCX and Lauv.

Tracks: Songwriting Special

As a show of solidarity, Europe is displaying the colours of Ukraine, a country whose desire for democracy and freedom is perceived as a danger by Vladimir Putin's Russia. The pursuit of freedom is the subject of this episode of Twist. A desire shared by artists from all over the world.

The Pursuit of Freedom

The pursuit of freedom is the subject of this episode of Twist. A desire shared by artists from all over the world.

Streetphilosophy roams the streets of Berlin to find answers to philosophical questions. In this episode Ronja von Rönne asks: What is happiness? How do I please myself while also pleasing others? And how can I realise my desires?

Live your Desires! But How?

After a few years exile in Canada, Kiana Hayeri returns to Iran and realises how much her country has changed. Her friends have completely different private and public personas. Via her Instagram, she uncovers the two faces of her paradoxical country. Instagram: @kianahayeri

Kiana Hayeri: Golden Youth

Via her Instagram, Kiana Hayeri uncovers the two faces of her paradoxical country

Iran#NoFilter (1/10)

After scouring the streets of Tehran as a professional photographer, Ako Salemi traded his camera in for a smartphone and decided to produce a more stripped back street photography. In a very tense political climate, he's cut off from conventional channels; so instead, he shows off his work on social networks. He's an international success. Instagram: @ f64s125

Ako Salemi: Street Photography

Ako Salemi's work is too controversial to be shown in exhibitions in Tehran; so he exhibits his work on Instagram instead

Iran#NoFilter (2/10)

Cafés are a privileged place for Tehran's young people to escape the judging gazes of the public sphere. In these new cafés, Alireza Goudarzi illustrates the paradox of the country, caught between the the public and the private. Instagram: @alireza_goudarzi

Alireza Goudarzi: Teheran Café

Cafés are a privileged place for Tehran's young people to escape the judging gazes of the public sphere

Iran#NoFilter (3/10)

In Iran, being a woman living in her own is very badly looked upon, as Negar Yaghmaian well knows after trying to rent an apartment with a friend. She embarked on a photographic series that describes the daily lives of these newly emancipated young women, and invites us into these "bachelorette houses".

Negar Yaghmaian: The Freedom to be Alone

In Iran, being a woman living in her own is very badly looked upon

Iran#NoFilter (4/10)

Through his series of polaroids, Ali Kazemi captures a generation in search of identity, torn between the ultra-rigid norms of the religious society in which they grew up, and their irrepressible desire for freedom. Is there a future for this "lost generation"? Instagram: @kaazaw

Ali Kazemi: Polaroid Punk

Through his series of polaroids, Ali Kazemi captures a generation in search of identity

Iran#NoFilter (5/10)

The Bassijs are a militia of voluntary citizens. The photographer Sina Shiri followed the daily life of these young volunteers for several weeks. In spite of austere living conditions, he found himself getting attached to these young militants, who meet their hardships face on with humour and energy. Instagram: @sinashirii

Sina Shiri: Growing Militia

The photographer Sina Shiri followed the daily life of the Bassijs, a militia of voluntary citizens