Fake photos, hacking and surveillance are all explored in a major new exhibition bringing together works from Russian and British cyber-artists.

The show, entitled Creative Machine 2, features works from leading practitioners from the CYLAND collective based in St Petersburg and Goldsmiths, University of London.

Against a wider backdrop of negative UK/Russian cyber-relations the show represents seeks to establish “new artistic truths” through the dynamic cultural and technological collaboration between artists from the two countries.

The exhibition, at the St James Hatcham Building on Goldsmiths’ New Cross campus, is open to the public from 10am-6pm, 8 November-18 November 2018.

Curators William Latham and Frederic Fol Leymarie, both Professors in the Department of Computing at Goldsmiths, and Anna Frants and Elena Gubanova, from the CYLAND collective, have selected works which address three main themes.

The three themes are: Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality; machine learning and hacking; and fakes and surveillance. The works on show include VR installations, cyberart installations, video installations, sculptures and Artificial IntelligenceI/machine learning installations.

The free show has been developed by CYLAND and Goldsmiths in partnership with the Hermitage Museum Youth Education Center and the Leonardo Journal (MIT Press).

Professor Latham said: “This show deals with many of the tricky global technological themes in the news today: cyber-hacking, surveillance and fakes, combined with the growing use of Artificial Intelligence in the systems which we all use.

“In this space where any understanding of the truth becomes obfuscated, this exhibition shows how Russian and UK artists are working to produce works of art which harness these technologies to create new artistic truths.”

CYLAND co-curators Anna Frants and Elena Gubanova said: “We’re delighted to be collaborating with Goldsmiths and Co-Hosting Creative Machine 2 by showcasing the works of contemporary Russian artists based in St Petersburg, Belgium and the US.”

Artists showing at Creative Machine 2 are: Marina Alekseeva, Memo Akten, Laura Dekker, Alexandra Dementieva, Jake Elwes, Anna Frants, Alexey Grachev, Sergey Komarov, Elena Gubanova, Ivan Govorkov, Sergey Katran, Parashkev Nachev, Vitaly Pushnitsky, Annie Tadne, Nye Thompson, William Latham, Stephen Todd, Lance Putnam, Guido Salimbeni, Peter Todd, Andy Lomas and Brigitta Zics.

The 8th edition of the Hall of Leisure and Fantasy (SOFA) 2016 has opened its doors, awaiting thousands of fans and curious visitors to gather around entertainment, trends, and new entrepreneurial alternatives in Latin America’s creative, artistic, and social connection industries.

With 13,000 square meters and over 300 activities, SOFA provides a space full of opportunities to enjoy free time and experience one of Colombia’s most important platforms for alternative cultural management.

More than 100 exhibitors and nearly a hundred active communities—including animatronics, cosplayers, urban athletes, K-pop dancers, Robotic People, geeks, gamers, among others—will be part of SOFA 2016. Culture, fun, and entertainment will take over 12 pavilions and open-air stages during these four unforgettable days.

Visitors will be able to enjoy:

*Circo SOFA * Cosplay Arena * Art Toys * SOFA Forest * Bubble Soccer * Cyberfest * Cosplay Parade * Photography Exhibitions * Floor Art * Flatland * Women’s Soccer * Graffiti * Adoption Campaigns * Pokemon Go * SOFA Ring, among many other events.

Special Guests:

Juandres Vera, a Mexican artist, illustrator, set designer, and “madonnaro,” is known for his 3D street art in countries like the U.S., U.K., Italy, Dubai, and Mexico. He will be at Pavilion 3, Level 2 in Corferias until October 30, where visitors can watch live chalk painting performances.

Enzo Fortuny, a renowned Mexican voice actor and director with over 25 years of experience, is known for iconic roles like the second voice of Arnold in Hey Arnold!, Drake Bell in Drake & Josh, Inuyasha, Inuzuka in Naruto, Yukito in Cardcaptor Sakura, Elijah Wood in The Lord of the Rings, and more. He will appear in the SOFA Auditorium on Sunday, October 30 at 4:30 p.m.

Romina Marroquín, Mexican voice actress and singer, is famous for voicing Princess Anna in Frozen, Giselle in Enchanted, Princess Cadence in My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Rosetta the fairy in the Tinker Bell films, and Nagisa Misumi in Pretty Cure, among others. She will appear in the SOFA Auditorium on Saturday, October 28 at 4:30 p.m. and Sunday, October 30 at 5:00 p.m.

Reika Arawaka, a cosplay queen and icon from Japan, began as an anime and manga fan and became internationally recognized through social media for the quality of her work. She’s now a global inspiration for many cosplayers. She will be present Saturday, October 29 at 6:00 p.m. in the SOFA Auditorium.

Marte García, a Mexican artist, works as a colorist for major Marvel comics including Captain America, X-Men, and Guardians of the Galaxy, and has illustrated covers for Deadpool and Spider-Man. He is brought to SOFA by Comeek, an online comic and collectibles store, and will be in Pavilion 8, Level 1 until October 30.

Anna Frants, a renowned new media artist whose work has been exhibited at top international biennials such as Venice, Moscow, and St. Petersburg. She is co-founder of CYLAND Media Art Lab. Her interactive 3D work is on display in Pavilion 8, Level 1 until October 30.

Jours de Papier (Paper Days), what started as a fun exchange between two lovers in 2012 has become a digital hit across Latin America with thousands of followers and nearly 300,000 daily website visits. Created by Mexicans Tania Camacho and Esteban Martínez, they’ll be among the international guests in Pavilion 8, Level 1 until October 30.

From Argentina, renowned juggler Gonzalo Purvis and Mara will showcase their artistic act and teach visitors the art of juggling in Pavilion 3, Level 2, from October 27 to 30.

by Esneyder Negrete

Confidencial Noticias October 28, 2016

From North to South, from Lazio to Veneto, a month filled with public art festivals and outdoor performances in unconventional settings. A calendar of events, all with free admission.

Outside of museums, in the streets, among alleyways, outdoors or indoors in repurposed buildings. Throughout the month of September, from the north to the south of Italy, there are several noteworthy events featuring non-institutional art festivals and exhibitions. These are deserving of attention not only for the dedication and expertise of the artists and curators involved, but also for their openness to public participation—an approach that should also be understood as a means of economic, cultural, and social development for the local area.

It all kicks off on September 1 with the biennial environmental art festival “Seminaria Sogninterra,” now in its fourth edition. It runs for just three days (ending on September 3) in Maranola, a name that might evoke the Cinque Terre, but in this case refers to a medieval village near Formia (in the province of Latina), overlooking the Gulf of Gaeta. There, the residents and volunteers have opened their homes and taken part in the realization of Seminaria. The festival, directed by Isabella Indolfi and Marianna Fazzico, features 12 artists from across Italy and abroad, who will present their works along a one-kilometer exhibition route, following the chosen theme for this edition: “1:1 scale,” indicating the relationship between the artworks and reality. The audience will see life-sized installations, sculptures, as well as relational and multimedia works by artists Emanuela Ascari, Laura Cionci, Alexandra Dementieva, Davide Dormino, Anna Frants, Alexei Kostroma, Giacomo Lion, Aurora Meccanica, Gino Sabatini Odoardi, Stalker, Saverio Todaro, and Delphine Valli.

Next, from September 3rd, in Marina di Ginosa, Puglia, the “Happening” festival takes place, offering a month of performances, actions, and contemporary art installations in makeshift structures such as “beach huts,” as well as in historic places like the Antiquarium of Metaponto, which will host an exhibition and the closing event at the end of September. The event, involving Italian artists Alessia Armeni, Andrea Aversa, Davide Cascio, Jok?bas ?ižikas, Linda Cuglia, Brynjar Helgason, Daniel Kemeny, Valentina Sartori, and other artists from the Pietra Paola residency, is entirely free and organized by artist Linda Cuglia with the patronage of the Soprintendenza Archeologica della Basilicata.

From September 7th to 11th, “Electro Camp” takes place in Veneto, with the promotion and organization of the cultural association Live Arts Cultures. This is an experimental platform dedicated to new contributions in performing arts. The event, now in its fourth edition, will take place at Forte Marghera in Venice-Mestre, focusing on sound-movement research.

Performing arts are also at the center of the “Habitat, Scenari Possibili” exhibition, scheduled from September 10th to October 2nd at Naviglio Martesana (Milan) in seven natural locations. The initiative, organized by Ilinxarium, curated by Nicolas Ceruti, and promoted by Regione Lombardia, is part of Ecoismi, an international contemporary art event exploring the relationship between art, humans, and nature. Habitat features four weekends open to everyone, with performances, talks, and dialogues with artists and experts. The program includes various events like walking and cycling tours and aperitifs on contemporary art topics with critics and artists, in locations affected by the installations, such as Vimodrone, Vaprio d’Adda, Cassano d’Adda, Inzago, Cernusco sul Naviglio, Cassina de’ Pecchi, and Parco Adda Nord.

At the end of September, the Livenel festival will be held for the first time, from September 23rd to 25th, at the former Enel offices in Piacenza. Livenel focuses on research and experimentation in visual arts, highlighting the work of young performers.

by Valentina Bernabei

La Repubblica August 31, 2016