Expotrastiendas, the art fair organized by the Argentine Association of Art Galleries (Asociación Argentina de Galerías de Arte or AAGA) since 2001 aims to promote and disseminate visual arts, helping artists to show their production in a different context, which attracts collectors and buyers as well as the general public.
Expotrastiendas and AAGA jointly organize different cultural events, such as seminars, contests and exhibitions, which foster and provide dynamism to the art market.
This year, Expotrastiendas will include a place for the electronic arts, organized by Rodrigo Alonso. There will also be a special space for the Argentine art of the 30’s, and a schedule of performances with international guests: Carlos Tejo (Spain), Cecilia Mato (Uruguay), Ursula Stadler (Switzerland), Luis Ricaurte (Mexico) and Pabla Ugarte (Chile).
Buenos Aires’ Government and the Mexican Embassy will pay tribute to the Argentine art expert Raquel Tibol, a naturalized Mexican. Peruvian reviewer Jorge Villacorta will take part in this event.
Photography will be represented by "The Manifestation", Sponsored by ARGRA and curated by Pepe Matéo and Sabra Nocita.

Dates: September 13 through September 18, 2008
Location: Centro de Exposiciones de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. Figueroa Alcorta Avenue and Pueyrredón Avenue
Tickets:
General: AR$15
Retirees and Students: AR$8
Children under 12: free admission

The Festival Beckett Buenos Aires was created in 2006, celebrating the 100th anniversary of birth of Samuel Beckett. This 3rd edition of the festival, sponsored by the Irish Embassy, will present plays by and based on the famous Irish playwright, films and dancing shows by national and international groups, in the Centro Cultural Borges, from September 7, 2008.

Program:

Sunday 7
7. 30 PM …si un día FELIZ…
By Florencia Suarez Bignoli.
Based on some Beckett's texts, this group recreates his atmosphere with three female characters.

Friday 12
10.30 PM. Final de Partida
By Samuel Beckett
GRUPO DE TEATRO NO TEATRAL presents an innovative production of this classic play.

Sunday 14
7.30 PM. Obra Inversa + Cortos cinematográficos
By Samuel Beckett and Argentine directors.
Together with Obra Inversa, a music group with influences from the antique, popular and contemporary music, there will be screenings of Film, directed by Samuel Beckett, starring Buster Keaton, and short films written and produced in Argentina inspired in the work of Beckett.

Saturday 20
10.30 PM. Mirá lo que hay que escuchar
The company BECKETT IMPROMPTU presents a show inspired in the works "Not I" and "Play", written by Samuel Beckett.
With direction of Patricio Orozco, the show is based on the voices and sounds that inhabited Argentina since 1806 up to the present.

Sunday 21
7.30 PM. Mirá lo que hay que escuchar

Friday 26
10.30 PM. Trika Fopte + 13 Días (Spain)
TRIKA FOPTE presents an interesting theatrical game, in which the espectator must excercise his maximum attention capacity, due to the dramatic use of space and language, deformed to become a new one.m By the gruop “Vuelve en Julio”
The company 13 Días (Spain) combines fine arts with performing arts.

Saturday 27
10.30 PM. Happy Days (London)
By Samuel Beckett
This play is presented in English.

Sunday 28
7.30 PM. Happy Days (London)

Location:
Centro Cultural Borges. Viamonte & San Martin, Galerias Pacifico, Buenos Aires

Tickets:
Selling point: Centro Cultural Borges, Galerías Pacífico. Viamonte & San Martín.
Phone: 0054 (11) 5555-5359
Hours:
Mondays through Saturdays 10.00 am to 09.00 pm
Sundays 12:00 noon to 09.00 pm
Fees:
Entrance: AR$ 20,00.-
Pensioners: $ 15,00.-

More information: Festival Beckett Buenos Aires official website.

The best adventure film festival in the world, Banff Mountain Film Festival, arrives in Buenos Aires for the eighth time as part of its World Tour, with spectacular films about mountaineering, nature, and extreme sports, from countries like Norway, Germany, United States, and Canada, among others.

The program combines 13 short videos and films, featuring great stories of daring sporstmen, surrounded by breathtaking natural landscapes. The Banff Mountain Film Festival was created in 1976, in the Canadian town of Banff, when 450 people gathered to watch 10 movies. From then on the festival grew every year to screen the best pictures that capture the spirit of mountain and adventure culture. The Festival´s World Tour began 15 years ago, and it was presented for the first time in Argentina in 2001.

Dates: September 15th, 16th, and 17th, 2008
Location: Village Cinema Recoleta. Vicente Lopez 2050
Tickets on sale at Hard Rock Café (Pueyrredon 2501), Monday to Saturday: 12 pm to 8 pm. Sunday: 12 pm to 7 pm.

For more information and complete program, visit the Banff Mountain Film Festival's website.

The XV Encuentros Abiertos - Festival de la Luz (Festival of Light), will be held from August 1st to September 30th, 2008 in Museums, Cultural Centers, Galleries and Art Venues around 22 cities in Argentina. Festival de la Luz is the most important photography biennial exhibition in Latin America.

Encuentros Abiertos, which this year celebrates its 20th anniversary, consists of several photographic activities, all of them free of charge, except for the Portfolios Forum and the workshops that are the only paid activities in the Festival.

The activities will be divided into different groups:

Exhibitions: 80 photographic exhibitions at museums and cultural centers around the country. Some of the participating venues are: Centro Cultural Recoleta with its 18 rooms; Centro Cultural Borges; Centro cultural Rojas; Centro Cultural San Martín; Teatro General San Martín; Dirección General de Museos; Museo Fernandez Blanco; Museo José Hernández; Alianza Francesa; Espacio Multiarte; BAC; Escuela Argentina de Fotografía, in its 4 venues; MAC Salta; Centro cultural Virla, Tucuman, Espacio contemporáneo de Arte in Mendoza; Fine Arts museums in La Rioja, San Juan, Gral. Roca, Trelew, Paraná, Santa Fe, among many others.
Meetings: conferences, round tables and screenings at the Auditorium of Alianza Francesa and the National Museum of Fine Arts.
Portfolios forum: meetings for photographers, curators, collectors, editors, critics, museum and festival directors.
Actions: open calls, contests, video-art, street projections, book presentations, performances, etc.
Urban Interventions: Homage to Alicia D'Amico at Plaza Dorrego; Contemporary collective exhibition at Plaza San Martin; Alan Humerose (Switzerland) at Puerto Madero; and Tom Lisboa with "Blow Up" at Plaza Francia.
Workshops: Argentine and international professors are invited to offer different workshops during the festival.

The Festival of Light is an international collaboration of more than 34 photography festivals around the world. This cooperation has a common website: www.festivaloflight.org, and a continuous exchange of exhibitions, activities and participants.The Festival of Light 2008 is sponsored by the embassies of France, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Mexico, Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, and Brazil. Also by: Alianza Francesa, the Secretary of Culture of the City of Buenos Aires, the General Direction of Museums, Centro Cultural Recoleta, Conaculta (Mexico), Centro de la Imagen (Mexico), Centro de la Imagen (Lima), Fundación Pro Helvetia, Culture France, and is organized by Fundacion Luz Austral.

The National Museum of Decorative Arts presents the traveling exhibition of 19th century French sculptures, "The Rodin Era", that includes works by Auguste Rodin, Louis Ernest Barrias, Emile-Antoine Bourdelle, Jean Baptiste Carpeaux, Albert Ernest Carrier-Belleuse, Camille Claudel, Charles Cordier, Alexandre Falguière, Jean León Gerôme, Hiram Powers, Pierre Auguste Renoir, belonging to the Museo de Arte de Ponce, in Puerto Rico, and to the Soumaya Museum, in Mexico.

Like most of the sculptors in the 19th century, Auguste Rodin (1840-1917) was brilliant at modeling clay, and directed the most important sculpture workshop, composed, among others, by modeling artists, people in charge of the plaster making for bronze molds, marble sculptors, and other collaborators that performed the versions of his works in different sizes.

Going through the works by Rodin, his masters, and his disciples, visitors will understand the revitalizing strength of their creations, and how, despite the criticism of their time, they were able to transcend the temporal and geographic frontiers.

Dates: July 12th to September 16th, 2008
Location: National Museum of Decorative Arts (Museo Nacional de Arte Decorativo). Avenida Libertador 1902
Opening times:
Tuesdays to Sundays, 2 pm to 7 pm
Mondays closed.
Guided visits:
Tuesday to Friday: 5.30 pm
Saturday and Sunday: 4.30 pm and 5.30 pm

Argentina will be hosting Russia for the Semifinals of the Davis Cup on clay at the Estadio Parque Roca in Buenos Aires on September 19th, 20th and 21st, 2008. The two nations last faced each other in the 2006 final, when the victory was for Russia 3-2 in Moscow.

The dates and times of the matches are: Friday 19th, 11 am; Saturday 20th, 12 pm; and Sunday 21st, 11 am.
A unique opportunity to attend to the single and double matches between two of the nations with some of the best ranked tennis players, like Argentine players David Nalbandian, Juan Martin del Potro, and Guillermo Cañas, and Russian players Marat Safin and Nicolay Davydenko.

Location: Estadio Parque Roca. Av. Roca y Escalada, Buenos Aires.
Tickets are on sale at Ticketek Argentina website.
More information: Davis Cup official website.

The Argentine Polo Association has announced the Schedule for the tournaments of the Official Spring 2008 Season. The program, between September and December, includes three of the most important Polo tournaments worldwide: Tortugas C.C., in which for the first time in Polo history the twelve 10-goal handicap players with will be participating; Hurlingham Club Open, the oldest Polo tournament in the world, and Argentine Open Championship.

Don´t miss the opportunity of attending these world class events. You can experience Polo the Argentine way, enjoying the matches of the Spring Polo Season. Email me to receive information about prices of transportation.

Email: sandra@batravelguide.com

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER

Club Militar San Jorge Open Championship
Hurlingham. Finals in Palermo
August 29th to September 6th

Metropolitan Championships (A) and (H)
September 13th

Copa Inicicacion (A) and (H)
September 6th

Inter-Schools Championship
From September 10th, 2008

Springbok Trophy
September 16th and 19th, 2008
3 PM. Palermo Polo Field

Buenos Aires Jockey Club Open Championship
September 8th to 20th, 2008

Argentine Open Junior Championship
For players between 15 and 21 years of age.
September 22nd, 24th, 29th, 2008
Argentine Polo Association. Pilar


SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER

Tortugas Country Club Open Championship
Emilio de Anchorena Cup
September 23rd to October 11th, 2008

Classifying Tournament for Hurlingham Open and 115th Argentine Open Championship
Participating teams: Alegria (31 goals), Santa Maria de Lobos (31 goals), Trenque Lauquen (30 goals), El Paraiso (29 goals), La Baronesa (29 goals), and Coronel Suarez (28 goals).
September 23, 26, and 30.
Palermo Polo Field

Senior Tournament
Club and dates to be confirmed

Hurlingham Club Open Championship
The Ayshire Cup
Confirmed Participating teams: La Dolfina (40 goals), Ellerstina (39 goals), Indios Chapaleufu II (37 goals), Pilara (37 goals), La Aguada (37 goals), and Black Watch (34 goals).
October 14th to November 1st, 2008

High - Campaña del Desierto (A) and Coronel Enrique Padilla (H) Cups
21 to 24 goal teams
From October 4th, 2008 – Finals in Pilar

Medium - Presidente (H) and Honor (A) Cups
15 to 20 goal teams
From October 4th, 2008 – Finals in Pilar

Low - Andrés Gazzotti (A) and General Mariano Necochea (H) Cups
From October 4th, 2008 – Finals in Pilar

Spring Cup (A) and (H)
From October 4th, 2008 – Semi Finals and Finals in Pilar

Inter-University Championship
From October 3rd, 2008

Municipalidad de Pilar Championship
Estimated date: from October 18th, 2008

Ciudad de La Plata 2008 Open Championship
Republica de Panama and Eduardo Rojas Lanusse Cups
La Enriqueta Polo Club
October 25th and 26th, 2008


NOVEMBER/DECEMBER

Annual Ponies' Exhibition
Tortugas Country Club
November 10th, 2008

Camara de Diputados Cup (A)
November 18th to December 12th 2008
Final in Palermo

115th Argentine Open Polo Championship
November 15th to December 13th, 2008

Provincia de Buenos Aires (H) and Jose C. Reynal (H) Cups
Semi Finals in Pilar and Finals in Palermo
From November 22nd 2008
Final in Palermo: Sunday, December 14th

Estimulo (A) and Cacique (H) Cups
Finals in Palermo
December 15th, 4 PM and 6 PM

Juan B. Miles Cup (A) and Comando de Remonta y Veterinaria Trophy (A)
Final in Palermo
December 14th, 4 PM and 6 PM

Guillermo Sojo Cup (A) and (H)
Finals in Palermo
December 17th, 10 AM and 12 Noon

Argentine Polo Association official website

Grande Exhibitions and The Anthropos Association (creators of Il Genio di Leonardo da Vinci Museo, Rome, Italy) present an international traveling exhibition: Da Vinci – The Genius, at Abasto Shopping Mall, the most comprehensive and complete exhibition traveling the world on the greatest genius of all time, and that has already been showcased at Paris, Rome, Moscow, Melbourne, Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, San Francisco, Macau, and Santiago.

The exhibition features reproductions of Leonardo’s codices and most famous renaissance art in actual size, an amazing collection of anatomical sketches, the famous Anghiari Battle Preparatory Drawings and entertaining and educational animations in 3D/HD of The Last Supper, the Vitruvian Man, the creation of the Mona Lisa and one of Leonardo’s most ambitious projects, the Sforza Horse Sculpture. Add to this audio guide, workshop areas for students, a theatre, extensive retail shop for merchandise. Many exhibit items are interactive, some are to scale, some are life size whilst others are oversize; all made to enhance the impact and viewing experience for the visitor.



A new addition to the Da Vinci – The Genius exhibition is the Secrets of Mona Lisa display. French scientific engineer and photographer of fine art, Pascal Cotte, was granted access by the French Government and The Louvre Museum to conduct an extensive scientific evaluation of this masterpiece under strict security and supervision, taking her out of her frame and away from the protective glass enclosure. His photographic examination and findings have startled the art world, with the unveiling of the 25 secret revelations about the priceless and world’s most famous painting.

The exhibition will feature, among other things: a 4m x 3m giant infrared photograph showing details of the masterpiece never before seen; the most accurate replica of the Mona Lisa ever made, without the frame and on wood, displayed as a 360° walk around piece; amazing high definition giant images of the painting and various sections, at a resolution of 1500dpi, revealing incredible details that cannot be seen under normal conditions by the human eye.



Dates: June 16th to September 30th, 2008
Opening times: Monday to Sunday, 10 am to 10 pm
Location: Abasto Shopping. Av. Corrientes 3247 (above Plaza del Zorzal)
Entry fees:
Adults: AR$ 30
Children 2 to 12: AR $ 20
Family group (2 adults + 2 children): AR $ 100
Children under 3: free

The San Jorge Open, the first tournament in the high handicap Polo Season in Argentina, will be played by four teams with top level players, like Bartolomé Castagnola, current Argentine tri-champion; Juan Carlos Merlos, the new player of Indios Chapaleufú II; and the distinguished presence of Julio Novillo Astrada and Santiago Araya.
The tournament starts on Friday, August 29th, at Club Militar San Jorge, in Hurlingham. The finals will be played in Palermo.

Participating Teams and Players:

A. SAN JORGE - ESCORIHUELA GASCON (21 goals)
Julio Saguier (3)
Roberto Samaría (3)
Fernando Santillán (6)
Juan Ignacio Merlos (9)

B. EL GALPON – PAGINAS AMARILLAS (19 goals)
Fernando Bartrons (3)
Miguel Gutiérrez (4)
Gonzalo Bunge (4)
Julio Novillo Astrada (8)

C. SAN JORGE – PANAMERICANO (24 goals)
Jaime Oubiña (3)
Santiago Sweitzer (5)
Francisco Bargallo (5)
Bartolomé Castagnola (10)

D. SAN JORGE – RAYITO DE SOL (23 goals)
Guillermo Venier (2)
Santiago Araya (7)
Diego Araya (8)
Ginés Bargallo (6)

Fixture:

Frday, August 29th, 2008. CLUB HIPICO MILITAR SAN JORGE. HURLINGHAM.
2 PM. Field 5: A vs C and B vs D

Saturday, September 6th, 2008. PALERMO
2 PM. Field 2: Final Reyes Carrere Cup
4 PM. Field 1: Final Duque of Eddimburgh Trophy
LAST MINUTE UPDATE:
Above matches have been postponed for Sunday, September 7th, for rain.

FREE ENTRANCE

The third edition of bafim, Buenos Aires International Music Fair (Feria Internacional de la Música), will offer musicians, singers, professionals, entrepreneurs, suppliers, trading companies, press, staff from the industry and visitors in general, a space where they can find stands, attend conferences, workshops, clinics, meetings, and debates, related to the national and international music industry.

bafim will be organized into two areas:

Activities for the general public: over 50 live shows by Argentine and foreign artists in 4 different stages; exhibitions; a shopping promenade offering products related to music at promotional prices; conferences covering a wide range of topics related to music in Buenos Aires and worldwide; exclusive events for children and music educational activities.

Activities for music industry professionals: Music Net is an international business area aimed at specialized visitors. It comprises an “international business space” with a very comfortable working area aimed at all professionals looking forward to arrange business meetings. This sector provides amenities like lounges, PCs with internet access, bars, material watching and listening equipment. Also, those accredited to Music Net will be able to attend previously arranged meetings with some of the most relevant music industry people from around the globe, such as managers, festival organizers, promoters and producers. In addition, in this room there will be talks, conferences, workshops and clinics exclusively targeted to the industry professionals.

Dates: September 4th to September 7th, 2008
Opening hours: Thursday and Sunday, 3 PM to 10 PM. Friday and Saturday, 3 PM to 12 AM.
Location: Centro Municipal de Exposiciones. Figueroa Alcorta Ave. and Pueyrredón Ave., next to Facultad de Derecho de la Universidad de Buenos Aires (Law School)
bafim, Buenos Aires Feria Internacional de la Música official website.

Teatro Colón presents the great Argentine first dancer of the American Ballet Theater, Paloma Herrera, in a Ballet Gala, accompanied by Guillaume Côté, First dancer of the Canada Ballet and invited artist of the American Ballet Theater, the Ballet of the Teatro Colón, and the National Symphonic Orchestra, in three exclusice performances at Luna Park Stadium, on August 29th, 30th and 31st, 2008.

PROGRAM

RAYMONDA
Grand Pas of Act III
Choreography: Marius Petipa
Music: Alexander Glazunov
Raymonda: PALOMA HERRERA
Jean de Brienne: GUILLAUME CÔTÉ
Invited first dancers, Soloists and Ballet of Teatro Colon.
National Symphonic Orchestra

A LOS AMIGOS, from “Aire de Tango”
Choreography: Ana María Stekelman
Music: Francini, Pontier and Orchestra
Soloists and Ballet of Teatro Colon

Pas de Deux VERANO PORTEÑO from “Las Cuatro Estaciones”
Choreography: Mauricio Wainrot
Music: Astor Piazzolla
PALOMA HERRERA and Soloist from the Ballet of Teatro Colon

PAQUITA
Choreography: Marius Petipa
Music: León Minkus
PALOMA HERRERA, GUILLAUME CÔTÉ, Invited First Dancers, and Soloists and Ballet of the Teatro Colon
National Symphonic Orchestra

Dates: Friday 29th, Saturday 30th and Sunday 31st, August 2008
Location: Luna Park Stadium. Corrientes & Bouchard
More information: www.palomaherrera.com

Celebrating 100 years of Okinawan Immigration in Argentina, the Okinawan Center in Argentina and the City of Buenos Aires will offer a series of cultural activities on Saturday, August 30th, 2008.
The show will take place in Avenida de Mayo, between Bolívar and Bernardo de Irigoyen, from 2 PM to 4 PM, with a parade of dance, music, and Okinawan martial arts groups, a tango show, and over 1300 participants. A delegation of nearly 1000 people will arrive from Okinawa and different parts of the world to take part in the celebration.
According to the organizers, the idea is to share this celebration between sister cities, show the legacy of Okinawan ancestors, enjoy tango as an element of the identity of the culture in Buenos Aires, and the diversity of its communities.
For the opening of the ceremony, the groups of traditional dances and drums will play “Kagiyadefu”, a typical song that opens every celebration in Okinawa; afterwards, the "Shishi" will be presented (the Sacred Lion protector of the Island).
The parade will start at the intersection of Avenida de Mayo and Bolivar, with the participation of Taiko Eisa performers (dance with drums typical of the island of Okinawa), who will offer their demonstration at different stops; traditional Japanese drums; karate schools and the group Ryukyu Buyo (traditional dances); the group Miruku Yagafu (in honor to the propsperity god Miruku); and students from Argentine-Japanese Private Institute (Nichia Gakuin) will hold the altar, following the tradition of Japanese festivities. There will also be delegations from Brazil, Peru, Bolivia, United States, Hawaii, and Japan. At the end of the parede, facing the City's Government Building, all the groups will perform together the traditional dance “Kachashi”.
The event will be closed with a tango show offered by Carla Algieri's Quintet, along with dancers Malvina and Sebastián, that will pay homage to two great Argentine tango artists: Darienso and Pugliese.