Christopher Pelham

Writing

https://onlylove.art 
One of the exhibitions I most enjoyed visiting during my all-too-brief stay in beautiful Arles, France to take in the Les Rencontres D’Arles de la Photographie was not in the festival at all. Instead, Valentina Benigni’s solo exhibition “Dancing Vulnerability” was a part of the concurrent Festival Off Arles.

With 26 exhibitions, some quite large, scattered around Arles, Les Rencontres D’Arles did not leave me much time in my brief stay to check out other shows, many of which I hurriedly passed by. However, Valentina’s exhibition announcement posted on the street featuring a brilliant photograph of what looked like a flamenco dancer with skirt awhirl cried out to me. 
https://www.valentina-benigni.com
#valentinabenigni #flamencodancer #flamenco #flamencophotography #dancephotography #dancejournalism #artswriting #artsjournalism #onlyloveart #festivaloffarles #arles
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On my second night in Kyoto, I went to Jazz Live Candy in Gion to see the trio of Kotono Nishimura 西村琴乃 (alto and soprano sax), Yuka Yanagihara 柳原由佳 (piano), and Ayuko Ikeda 池田安友子(percussion). I was not familiar with any of them, but from the start, I found their set, inspired by the spring season, infectious, rhythmically adventurous, and uplifting.

https://onlylove.art/archives/979

#西村琴乃 #柳原由佳 #池田安友子 #jazzlivecandy #musicphotography #womeninmusic #womeninjazz #jazzjournalism #kyoto #onlyloveart
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https://onlylove.art/archives/936
 In this article we explore the inspiring images of “You Don’t Die — The Story of Yet Another Iranian Uprising,” an exhibition that was part of this year's Kyotographie international photography festival in Kyoto, Japan.

The photographs were culled from 1000s of mostly anonymous images of the “Woman, Life, Freedom” uprising inside Iran, collected and authenticated by Le Monde photo editor Marie Sumalla and Le Monde journalist Ghazal Golshiri and displayed alongside photographs by several professional Iranian photographers inside Iran.

#kyotographie #womanlifefreedom #mahsaamini #mahsa_amini #mahsaaminiمهسا_امینی #iran #jina #مهسا_امینی #freeiran
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https://onlylove.art/archives/867

Dancer/Choreographer Miwako Inagaki 稲垣美輪子 
https://miwako-inagaki.jimdosite.com

Chizuko Kotani 小谷ちず子 + Hajime Totani 戸谷 肇
Haruna Ueno 植野晴菜 + Riryong Ko 高梨玲
Luan Banzai

#urbanguild #dancewriting #dancephotography #butoh #gaga #onlyloveart #kyoto #kyotodance #kyotounderground #miwakoinagaki
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https://onlylove.art/archives/867
In this article we write about
Chizuko Kotani 小谷ちず子 + Hajime Totani 戸谷 肇
Miwako Inagaki 稲垣美輪子 
Haruna Ueno 植野晴菜 + Riryong Ko 高梨玲
Luan Banzai

#urbanguild #dancewriting #dancephotography #butoh #gaga #onlyloveart #kyoto #kyotodance #kyotounderground #gaga
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https://onlylove.art/archives/826
A visit to MUSE (Music Unites Special Education), a certified NPO founded in Sendai City by pianist Atsuko Nishina in 2001 to increase the opportunities for people with special needs to touch highly artistic music and art and express themselves freely through artistic creative activities, with composer Aya Nishina 仁科彩 and her partner, the visual artist Shimpei Takeda 武田慎平, afforded me the opportunity to understand their creative work more deeply and to recognize that their art and their teaching work, while different in form, have the same purpose, each informed by and expressing the same universal spiritual principles that, in fact, guide all true healing work.
#muse #sendai #ayanishina #atsukonishina #shimpeitakeda #disabilities #differentlyabled #autism #art #kotoriforest #music
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https://onlylove.art/archives/612

I took a day to visit Ishinomaki, a city a short train ride to the north of Sendai that had suffered the greatest loss of human life during the March 11, 2011 Great East Japan earthquake, tsunami, and ongoing nuclear disaster but has since shown remarkable spirit and creativity in rebuilding and moving forward.

#ishinomaki #rebornartfestival #mihotsujii #nawakohei #bicafenatsume #damienjalet #olinkhouse #rebornartstand #momonouravillage #miyagi
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The first three installments of our 30 Days in Japan journal are up on https://onlylove.art! 

#imai #nikko #ishinomaki #rebornartfestival #photoessay #buddhisttemple #tokugawaieyasu #tsunami #tohoku #cats
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Profiling the evolution of Maya Keren’s Careful in the Sun, which draws on elements of jazz and lush pop to create an irresistible sonic dream world that expresses some big ideas.

https://onlylove.art/archives/564 #carefulinthesun

#mayakeren #onlyloveart #publicrecordsnyc #womeninjazz #womeninmusic
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https://onlylove.art/archives/518

On November 25, 2023 I had the pleasure of attending the closing reception for “Alix Bailey: Recent Paintings” at The Painting Center in Chelsea. The show, her fourth at The Painting Center, consisted mostly of large paintings of one particular model whom Bailey painted repeatedly throughout the years of the pandemic, evoking the inner light of the model while at the same time capturing the diffuse natural light of her studio and the way that it illuminates everything in the frame.

#alixbailey #alixbaileypainter #thepaintingcenter #thepaintingcenternyc #femalepainter #artwriting #onlyloveart #painting
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https://onlylove.art/archives/196

From Sept 21 – 23, Mutual Mentorship for Musicians (M³) held its 2nd annual M³ Festival at Roulette Intermedium in Brooklyn, NY. The event brought together musicians from around the world from M³’s 3rd and 4th cohorts, many of them meeting and performing together in person for the first time. One of two public events that M³ held this year, the festival provides a showcase both for its cohort participants and for the organization itself and its mission.
#mutualmentorshipformusicians #roulette #rouletteintermedium #jenshyu #saraserpa #womeninmusic #womeninjazz #womensempowerment #jazz #newmusic #musicwriting
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Photography

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https://onlylove.art 
One of the exhibitions I most enjoyed visiting during my all-too-brief stay in beautiful Arles, France to take in the Les Rencontres D’Arles de la Photographie was not in the festival at all. Instead, Valentina Benigni’s solo exhibition “Dancing Vulnerability” was a part of the concurrent Festival Off Arles.

With 26 exhibitions, some quite large, scattered around Arles, Les Rencontres D’Arles did not leave me much time in my brief stay to check out other shows, many of which I hurriedly passed by. However, Valentina’s exhibition announcement posted on the street featuring a brilliant photograph of what looked like a flamenco dancer with skirt awhirl cried out to me. 
https://www.valentina-benigni.com
#valentinabenigni #flamencodancer #flamenco #flamencophotography #dancephotography #dancejournalism #artswriting #artsjournalism #onlyloveart #festivaloffarles #arles

https://onlylove.art
One of the exhibitions I most enjoyed visiting during my all-too-brief stay in beautiful Arles, France to take in the Les Rencontres D’Arles de la Photographie was not in the festival at all. Instead, Valentina Benigni’s solo exhibition “Dancing Vulnerability” was a part of the concurrent Festival Off Arles.

With 26 exhibitions, some quite large, scattered around Arles, Les Rencontres D’Arles did not leave me much time in my brief stay to check out other shows, many of which I hurriedly passed by. However, Valentina’s exhibition announcement posted on the street featuring a brilliant photograph of what looked like a flamenco dancer with skirt awhirl cried out to me.
https://www.valentina-benigni.com
#valentinabenigni #flamencodancer #flamenco #flamencophotography #dancephotography #dancejournalism #artswriting #artsjournalism #onlyloveart #festivaloffarles #arles
...

Elizabeth and gamin explore various types of music, including solo, duo, and trio with guest musician Yves-Gérald Délice on bass guitar.

This concert explores the profound theme of crossing boundaries, a continuation of our series that invites reflection on the values of transcending limits. Whether these boundaries are forbidden zones, mental constructs, or cultural divergences, the performance seeks to bring them into mutual awareness. Through a powerful blend of music and meditation, this event challenges audiences to rethink the divisions that shape our world and to discover the unity that lies beyond. Join us for an evening of immersive soundscapes and thought-provoking artistry as we journey across these borders together.

RSVP required by 12 pm on 9/21, the day of the concert. Your name and email address will be given to NYU, which will email you a pass that you will need to enter the Bobst Library building.

Doors open at 4pm. Concert starts promptly at 4:30 pm.

https://crsny.org

Elizabeth and gamin explore various types of music, including solo, duo, and trio with guest musician Yves-Gérald Délice on bass guitar.

This concert explores the profound theme of crossing boundaries, a continuation of our series that invites reflection on the values of transcending limits. Whether these boundaries are forbidden zones, mental constructs, or cultural divergences, the performance seeks to bring them into mutual awareness. Through a powerful blend of music and meditation, this event challenges audiences to rethink the divisions that shape our world and to discover the unity that lies beyond. Join us for an evening of immersive soundscapes and thought-provoking artistry as we journey across these borders together.

RSVP required by 12 pm on 9/21, the day of the concert. Your name and email address will be given to NYU, which will email you a pass that you will need to enter the Bobst Library building.

Doors open at 4pm. Concert starts promptly at 4:30 pm.

https://crsny.org
...

On my second night in Kyoto, I went to Jazz Live Candy in Gion to see the trio of Kotono Nishimura 西村琴乃 (alto and soprano sax), Yuka Yanagihara 柳原由佳 (piano), and Ayuko Ikeda 池田安友子(percussion). I was not familiar with any of them, but from the start, I found their set, inspired by the spring season, infectious, rhythmically adventurous, and uplifting. 

https://onlylove.art/archives/979 

#西村琴乃 #柳原由佳 #池田安友子 #jazzlivecandy #musicphotography #womeninmusic #womeninjazz #jazzjournalism #kyoto #onlyloveart

On my second night in Kyoto, I went to Jazz Live Candy in Gion to see the trio of Kotono Nishimura 西村琴乃 (alto and soprano sax), Yuka Yanagihara 柳原由佳 (piano), and Ayuko Ikeda 池田安友子(percussion). I was not familiar with any of them, but from the start, I found their set, inspired by the spring season, infectious, rhythmically adventurous, and uplifting.

https://onlylove.art/archives/979

#西村琴乃 #柳原由佳 #池田安友子 #jazzlivecandy #musicphotography #womeninmusic #womeninjazz #jazzjournalism #kyoto #onlyloveart
...

https://onlylove.art/archives/936
 In this article I explore the inspiring images of “You Don’t Die — The Story of Yet Another Iranian Uprising,” an exhibition that was part of this year's Kyotographie international photography festival in Kyoto, Japan. 

The photographs were culled from 1000s of mostly anonymous images of the “Woman, Life, Freedom” uprising inside Iran, collected and authenticated by Le Monde photo editor Marie Sumalla and Le Monde journalist Ghazal Golshiri and displayed alongside photographs by several professional Iranian photographers inside Iran. 

#kyotographie #sfera #womanlifefreedom #mahsaamini #mahsa_amini #mahsaaminiمهسا_امینی #photography #kyoto #iran #lemonde #jina #hairforfreedom

https://onlylove.art/archives/936
In this article I explore the inspiring images of “You Don’t Die — The Story of Yet Another Iranian Uprising,” an exhibition that was part of this year`s Kyotographie international photography festival in Kyoto, Japan.

The photographs were culled from 1000s of mostly anonymous images of the “Woman, Life, Freedom” uprising inside Iran, collected and authenticated by Le Monde photo editor Marie Sumalla and Le Monde journalist Ghazal Golshiri and displayed alongside photographs by several professional Iranian photographers inside Iran.

#kyotographie #sfera #womanlifefreedom #mahsaamini #mahsa_amini #mahsaaminiمهسا_امینی #photography #kyoto #iran #lemonde #jina #hairforfreedom
...

https://onlylove.art/archives/867 

Dancer/Choreographer Miwako Inagaki 稲垣美輪子 
https://miwako-inagaki.jimdosite.com

Chizuko Kotani 小谷ちず子 + Hajime Totani 戸谷 肇
Haruna Ueno 植野晴菜 + Riryong Ko 高梨玲
Luan Banzai

#urbanguild #dancewriting #dancephotography #butoh #gaga #onlyloveart #kyoto #kyotodance #kyotounderground #miwakoinagaki

https://onlylove.art/archives/867

Dancer/Choreographer Miwako Inagaki 稲垣美輪子 
https://miwako-inagaki.jimdosite.com

Chizuko Kotani 小谷ちず子 + Hajime Totani 戸谷 肇
Haruna Ueno 植野晴菜 + Riryong Ko 高梨玲
Luan Banzai

#urbanguild #dancewriting #dancephotography #butoh #gaga #onlyloveart #kyoto #kyotodance #kyotounderground #miwakoinagaki
...

https://onlylove.art/archives/867 
In this article I write about 
Chizuko Kotani 小谷ちず子 + Hajime Totani 戸谷 肇
Miwako Inagaki 稲垣美輪子 
Haruna Ueno 植野晴菜 + Riryong Ko 高梨玲
Luan Banzai 

#urbanguild #dancewriting #dancephotography #butoh #gaga #onlyloveart #kyoto #kyotodance #kyotounderground #gaga

https://onlylove.art/archives/867
In this article I write about
Chizuko Kotani 小谷ちず子 + Hajime Totani 戸谷 肇
Miwako Inagaki 稲垣美輪子 
Haruna Ueno 植野晴菜 + Riryong Ko 高梨玲
Luan Banzai

#urbanguild #dancewriting #dancephotography #butoh #gaga #onlyloveart #kyoto #kyotodance #kyotounderground #gaga
...

https://onlylove.art/archives/826
A visit to MUSE (Music Unites Special Education), a certified NPO founded in Sendai City by pianist Atsuko Nishina in 2001 to increase the opportunities for people with special needs to touch highly artistic music and art and express themselves freely through artistic creative activities, with composer Aya Nishina 仁科彩 and her partner, the visual artist Shimpei Takeda 武田慎平, afforded me the opportunity to understand their creative work more deeply and to recognize that their art and their teaching work, while different in form, have the same purpose, each informed by and expressing the same universal spiritual principles that, in fact, guide all true healing work.
#muse #sendai #ayanishina #atsukonishina #shimpeitakeda #disabilities #differentlyabled #autism #art #kotoriforest #music

https://onlylove.art/archives/826
A visit to MUSE (Music Unites Special Education), a certified NPO founded in Sendai City by pianist Atsuko Nishina in 2001 to increase the opportunities for people with special needs to touch highly artistic music and art and express themselves freely through artistic creative activities, with composer Aya Nishina 仁科彩 and her partner, the visual artist Shimpei Takeda 武田慎平, afforded me the opportunity to understand their creative work more deeply and to recognize that their art and their teaching work, while different in form, have the same purpose, each informed by and expressing the same universal spiritual principles that, in fact, guide all true healing work.
#muse #sendai #ayanishina #atsukonishina #shimpeitakeda #disabilities #differentlyabled #autism #art #kotoriforest #music
...

https://onlylove.art/archives/612

I took a day to visit Ishinomaki, a city a short train ride to the north of Sendai that had suffered the greatest loss of human life during the March 11, 2011 Great East Japan earthquake, tsunami, and ongoing nuclear disaster but has since shown remarkable spirit and creativity in rebuilding and moving forward.

#ishinomaki #rebornartfestival #mihotsujii #nawakohei #bicafenatsume #damienjalet #olinkhouse #rebornartstand #momonouravillage #miyagi

https://onlylove.art/archives/612

I took a day to visit Ishinomaki, a city a short train ride to the north of Sendai that had suffered the greatest loss of human life during the March 11, 2011 Great East Japan earthquake, tsunami, and ongoing nuclear disaster but has since shown remarkable spirit and creativity in rebuilding and moving forward.

#ishinomaki #rebornartfestival #mihotsujii #nawakohei #bicafenatsume #damienjalet #olinkhouse #rebornartstand #momonouravillage #miyagi
...

https://onlylove.art/archives/771
 This spring I had the pleasure of attending two uplifting events led by pianist Eunbi Kim at the National Arts Club, where she is one of 14 2023/2024 National Arts Club Artist Fellows. Rather than presenting formal concerts, Eunbi (she/her) created a series of gatherings. This approach suited the Club’s intimate spaces and allowed her to work interactively with the audience, sharing how music and mindfulness practice can work together to connect and heal us. The two gatherings I attended, “How to Love” on March 6 and “Deep Listening” on May 19, each incorporated live music, talking, and visual elements. Eunbi cast the audience as improvisational partners, enabling them to explore the nexus of music and meditation along with her.

 #eunbikim #eunbikimpiano #onlyloveart #nationalartsclub #musicjournalism #musicphotography #meditation #deeplistening #howtolove #thichnhathanh

https://onlylove.art/archives/771
This spring I had the pleasure of attending two uplifting events led by pianist Eunbi Kim at the National Arts Club, where she is one of 14 2023/2024 National Arts Club Artist Fellows. Rather than presenting formal concerts, Eunbi (she/her) created a series of gatherings. This approach suited the Club’s intimate spaces and allowed her to work interactively with the audience, sharing how music and mindfulness practice can work together to connect and heal us. The two gatherings I attended, “How to Love” on March 6 and “Deep Listening” on May 19, each incorporated live music, talking, and visual elements. Eunbi cast the audience as improvisational partners, enabling them to explore the nexus of music and meditation along with her.

#eunbikim #eunbikimpiano #onlyloveart #nationalartsclub #musicjournalism #musicphotography #meditation #deeplistening #howtolove #thichnhathanh
...

Since the founding of Shihonryuji Temple (which later became Nikkosan Rinnoji Temple) by the Buddhist monk Shodo in 766, Nikko, a small town about 90 miles north of Tokyo in Tochigi Prefecture, became known as a sacred place where Buddhism was brought into harmony with the older Shinto worship of the mountain gods. Eight centuries later, Shōgun Tokugawa Ieyasu’s mausoleum was constructed in Nikko, 208 steep stone steps up the mountainside above the other temple buildings. So great were his accomplishments — the dynasty he founded ruled Japan peacefully for 250 years and oversaw its greatest cultural flowering, known as the Edo Period — that succeeding generations could not resist making his shrine, as well as the adjacent temple and shrine complexes, more and more grand, and there are now 14 centuries of philosophical and artistic contributions to explore and unpack. 

https://onlylove.art/archives/723 

#tokugawa #tokugawaieyasu #nikko #shinkyobridge #rinnojitemple #hearnoevilseenoevilspeaknoevil #buddhism #shinto #shintoshrine #Japan #japantravel

Since the founding of Shihonryuji Temple (which later became Nikkosan Rinnoji Temple) by the Buddhist monk Shodo in 766, Nikko, a small town about 90 miles north of Tokyo in Tochigi Prefecture, became known as a sacred place where Buddhism was brought into harmony with the older Shinto worship of the mountain gods. Eight centuries later, Shōgun Tokugawa Ieyasu’s mausoleum was constructed in Nikko, 208 steep stone steps up the mountainside above the other temple buildings. So great were his accomplishments — the dynasty he founded ruled Japan peacefully for 250 years and oversaw its greatest cultural flowering, known as the Edo Period — that succeeding generations could not resist making his shrine, as well as the adjacent temple and shrine complexes, more and more grand, and there are now 14 centuries of philosophical and artistic contributions to explore and unpack.

https://onlylove.art/archives/723

#tokugawa #tokugawaieyasu #nikko #shinkyobridge #rinnojitemple #hearnoevilseenoevilspeaknoevil #buddhism #shinto #shintoshrine #Japan #japantravel
...


 

 

 

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