Here are 7 highlights for the month of May, from groundbreaking exhibitions to a city full of flowers.
For this month, as we have been doing the last months, we bring you 7 cultural highlights for the month of May. It will be a month where some museums will open their doors after the closure due to the pandemic as is the case of the Gropius Bau in Berlin with an exhibition of Yayoi Kusama. In Girona we propose Temps de Flors where the streets are dressed in flowers. Urvanity Art the fair of new contemporary art in Madrid. At the Guggenheim in Bilbao you can contemplate their masterpieces. And from anywhere in the world you can follow the awards ceremony of the Craft Prize of the Loewe Foundation to be held with a virtual exhibition of the projects of the finalists.On May 5 the Leopold Museum in Vienna is scheduled to open with interesting and unique exhibitions such as The Body Electric. Finally, Berlin will host the Berlin Design Week where new approaches for the future will be presented.
1- The most select works of the Guggenheim in a single exhibition
We start with the 7 highlights of May with the exhibition Masterpieces from the collection . The pieces that can be contemplated are the famous image of Marilyn Monroe by Andy Warhol, works by Anselm Kiefer, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Cy Twombly, Robert Rauschenberg Barcaza,etc. There are also sculptures by the Basques Eduardo Chillida and Jorge Oteiza.
The Famous Orders of the Night by Anselm Kiefer on display at the Guggenheim
This Bilbao museum has been increasing its collection from the second half of the twentieth century to the present day. The group of works stands out for being icons of contemporaneity, for not leaving the public indifferent or for the reference in the artistic world of their authors.
When: until 12/31/2021 .
Where: Guggenheim Bilbao (Abandoibarra Etorb., 2, 48009. Bilbao)
Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday from 11am to 7pm.
Tickets: for more information please see here..
2-The dangers of electricity seen by Erwin Osen
The second of the 7 highlights for the month of May focuses on the Leopold Museum in Vienna where The Body Electric will be on display, in them you will be able to see several recently discovered drawings by Erwin Osen. These were commissioned by Stefan Jellinek, a Viennese physician who focused his efforts on showing the dangers of using electricity in the medical field.
Erwin Dominik Osen as a Nude with Crossed Arms by Egon Schiele, 1910. Stretched Newborn by Egon Schiele, 1910.
Jellinek worked, among other places, at the 2nd Garrison Hospital at Rennweg during World War I where he applied electrotherapeutic measures to soldiers to treat post-traumatic stress. The artist Osen created the drawings during his stay in that hospital. All the works belong to a context of “clinical modernism” and this exhibition allows to approach them in a different way.
When: from 16/04/2021 until 26/09/2021
Where: Leopold Museum (Museumsplatz 1, 1070, Vienna).
Hours: Wednesday to Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (Closed until May 4th)
Tickets: here
3- A retrospective of Yayoi Kusama
Continuing with the 7 highlights of May, we find at the Martin Gropius Bau in Berlin the exhibition of Yayoi Kusama. This is one of Japan’s most important contemporary artists. This exhibition will be the first retrospective complete retrospective in the German-speaking country.
Portrait of Yayoi Kusama
Kusama’s work is characterized by the exploration of repetitive patterns and structures, as well as polka dots or reflected spaces. Since the 1950s she has expressed herself from classics such as painting, sculpture and drawing but also through installations.
Infinity Mirror Room installation by Yayoi Kusama
When: from 04/23/2021 to 8/15/2021
Where: Gropius Bau (Niederkirchnerstraße 7 10963 Berlin).
Hours: Friday to Wednesday from 10:00h to 19:0h. Thursday from 10:00h to 21:00h
Tickets: check and buy tickets here
4- Spring in its purest form
If you want to enjoy the most flowery season of the year, do not hesitate to visit Girona during Temps de Flors. After not being able to be held in 2020 because of the COVID-19, this 2021 returns to fill the Catalan city with flowers with the 66th edition of this event.
Sample of the last edition (2019) of Temps de Flors in Girona
The organization has been able to adapt to the pandemic and all the spaces will be open and in more places. The usual points have been preserved and new places have been added in other neighborhoods through its commercial areas and its green areas. The exhibition points are located in nine neighborhoods: Barri Vell, Carme, Mercadal, Eixample, Sant Daniel, Fontajau, Sant Narcís, Devesa i Santa .
The bridges were filled with floral motifs in the last edition (2019) of Temps de Flors in Girona
When: 08/05/2021 to 16/05/2021
Where: different places in Girona.
5- The Loewe Foundation Craft Prize adapts to the virtual world
Due to the current situation in France, it has been decided that the 2021 edition of the Craft Prize Fundación Loewe will be adigital-only exhibition. This exhibition will include works by the 30 finalists who are part of contemporary art from around the world. This is made up of textiles, ceramics, porcelain, copper, etc. The places of origin are very varied, from 18 countries from 6 continents in fact, this is the most global list of finalists since its inception in 2016.
Work presented by one of the Spanish finalists, Carla García Durlan
The winner will be announced on May 25 and among the finalists are two Spanish artists: Xavier Toubes and Carla García Durlan. The exhibition will use an innovative digital technology that will allow viewers to tour the exhibition in the Great Hall of the Museum of Decorative Arts, which for the first time will be modeled in 3D.
Project by finalist Xavier Toubes
When: as of 05/25/2021
Where: virtual
6. New contemporary art meets in Madrid
Urvanity returns at the end of May for its fifth edition after its original dates were postponed. It is an international reference of the most current art. The works to be seen belong to artists such as Eugenio Recuenco, Wendy White, Roby Dwi Antono, Rafa Macarron, or Laurence Vallières.
The artist Samuel Salcedo presents ‘Under construction’ 120x100x100
Not only famous artists will be present, but also American galleries such as the New York gallery PADRE Gallery, the Colombian Square House or the gallery Cerquone Projects of Caracas. In turn, there is room for local initiatives such as Durán Monkey Gallery, Furiosa Gallery or La Causa Galería, among others, or the Fousion Gallery, as well as the Yusto/Giner y Reiners Contemporary Art.
The Casa Square gallery presents ‘Afterparty’ by Koctel
When: 05/27/2021 to 05/30/2021
Where: Colegio Oficial de Arquitectos de Madrid (COAM) (Calle de Hortaleza, 63, Madrid).
Hours: Friday 28th: 10:30-21:00h; Saturday 29th and Sunday 30th: 10:30-20:30h
Tickets: more information here
7. Facing the crisis through design
The last of the 7 highlights for the month of May is another event that returns after the 2020 hiatus, the Berlin Design Week. The theme for this edition is new traditions. This fair presents new approaches to thinking and design for the future. With the premise of the crisis, this event aims to promote a discourse of future-oriented strategies.
In order to initiate a new normality, ideas such as clear, sustainable and trend-setting design are proposed. There will be various formats such as exhibitions, showrooms, talks, workshops, screenings, lectures and guided tours. It will open with the showrooms at Bikini Berlin and Design Pool and close with the Open Studio Nights. In addition, there will bevarious formats that can be enjoyed in streaming through BNDNWK TV..
When?: 27/05/2021 to 06/06/2021
Where: Berlin.
Image credits: The Body Electric- Manfred Thumberger, Yayoi Kusama- Ota Fine Arts, Victoria Miro & David Zwirner, Guggenheim, Temps de Flors – CRDI. Ajuntament de Girona (Toni Vilches), Craft Prize Fundación Loewe, Urvanity, Berlin Design Week
We hope that these proposals will inspire you and that you will be able to enjoy culture in a safe way. We will meet again in June with more proposals.
