Breakdancing makes its Olympic debut this summer, and Commotion has some thoughts.
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Hi, Art!

Sunday, July 28, 2024

Hi, Art!

Sunday, July 28, 2024

Hi, art lovers!

 
Smoke in the colours of the France flag appear over the Seine River in Paris during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics.

Smoke in the colours of the France flag appear over the Seine River in Paris during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics. (Matthias Schrader/AP Photo)

 
The 2024 Paris Olympic Games are underway, and I’ve got to imagine you’ve already spent a chunk of the weekend fully immersing yourself in the hype, circling events on the CBC streaming schedule. If not, check out this reading list from CBC Books. Maybe there’s something there that’ll get you feeling in sync with the sport-obsessed.

Me? I’m definitely a casual viewer of the Olympics, and gawking at the national uniforms is usually my favourite part of the whole extravaganza. But after listening to Commotion’s segment on Olympic breakdancing last week (link below), I’m suddenly determined to watch anything to do with that competition. Breaking is a new Olympic sport this year, and if you’ve yet to see Canadian B-boy Phil Wizard in action, do yourself a favour and watch him win gold at the 2023 Pan American Games. The Vancouver dancer (profiled here) recently spoke to CBC Music about his all-time favourite rap albums, although here’s a bit of trivia I didn’t realize until I read this feature about the DJs who will be at the Summer Games in Paris: Olympic breakers don’t get to choose the tunes they dance to! 

More Olympic trivia for you: once upon a time, there were Olympic medals for the arts … and this Canadian composer won silver. These Olympic posters are considered some of the best in history. (Take a closer look at one of them, designed by Yvon Laroche for the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games.)
 

Because we promised you eye candy ...

 
Painting of a closeup of a blue and white Nike running shoe against a yellow and pink landscape

Sarah Alice Moran

Olympus by Sarah Alice Moran.
 
Glitchy video still of a diver mid-dive. Type reads:

Clive Holden

And while I’m on an Olympic kick … the Canadian Cultural Centre in Paris is hosting a timely exhibition of work by Clive Holden. For the show, Clive pulled archival images of the Olympic and Paralympic Games to create digital, video and photographic installations. (There’s lots more info here.)
 
Abstract painting in fiery colours.

Caroline Cloutier

Inner Fire by Montreal-based artist Caroline Cloutier.
 
Photo of water's surface. Two bodies, their skin bright orange and yellow, float just below the sea-green water.

Justin Trottier

The Up Here festival returns to Sudbury, Ont., this summer, and as part of this year’s event, you can find an art show at Amberhill Gallery running Aug. 4 to 18. Photographer Justin Trottier is one of the featured artists. 
 
Painting in an abstract style. A figure, in red and brown, stretches into an angular pose and is surrounded by colourful patterns.

Vick Naresh

Dawn Singularis by Hamilton’s Vick Naresh.
 
 

You've got to see this

 
 
 
Three figures jump in the air in an all-white room. They are dressed in nude muscle suits and carry pink and yellow (faux) guitars.
The Clichettes

Meet the Clichettes, the feminist punk pioneers of Canadian performance art

 
Packed with costumes and props, the group’s first retrospective is like visiting a secret wing of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
 
A breaker in a red and white patterned track suit balances on their head, arms and feet crossed.
Carlos Osorio/Reuters

Breaking ground at Paris 2024

 
Could Canada bring home the gold for breaking? The hip-hop dance style makes its Olympic debut this summer, and Commotion has some thoughts.
 
Group photo of five white people in fancy dress, posed in front of a beige backdrop.

Alexa Viscius

 

From quitting Arcade Fire to conquering Broadway

 
Will Butler’s Stereophonic leads this year’s Tony Award nominations. Set in the ’70s, it’s a show about a fictional rock band on the cusp of stardom. As a former member of Arcade Fire, the composer knows plenty about the music business, but as he revealed on Q, he’s kind of clueless about classic rock.
 

Follow this artist

 
 
 
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Dalia Elcharbini

@daliaeart
Painting of two identical children playing with toy cars on a fence. A golden mosque can be seen on the horizon.

Dalia Elcharbini

Dalia is a Palestinian Canadian artist based in Toronto, and last week she told us the family story that inspired this painting, Unconditional Playdate.
 

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I’m Leah Collins, senior writer at CBC Arts. Until next time!

 
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XOXO CBC Arts
 
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