TodaysArt unveils first wave of artists for its upcoming 13th edition
This year the festival, renown for its signature program of pioneering digital art, experimental electronic music and audiovisual performances, includes headlining shows by Hauschka, Ata Kak, Laurel Halo and ‘Still be Here’ with Hatsune Miku. The roving festival also settles in a new venue. TodaysArt is proud to share the first 20 confirmed names for its highly anticipated 2017 edition with further program announcements to follow.
TodaysArt returns to the city centre of The Hague to present its latest edition. The two-day festival takes place in multiple venues of the National Theatre: Theater aan het Spui and Filmhuis Den Haag. For the very first time, TodaysArt is also transforming the city’s classical royal theatre – Koninklijke Schouwburg – into a progressive multifunctional playground housing 4 headlining concerts, 4 clubs and 1 exhibition.
With experimental works inside classical settings, TodaysArt builds a complex reality that deepens the contrasts between location, time, content, creators, and audience. In light of this year’s curatorial theme on the opacity of algorithmic systems, the festival seeks contradictions, the unexpected, clarity and chaos, and occasionally, a disturbing reality check. A full program announcement including art installations, panels, talks and additional performances will follow over the next weeks.
For now, the first names focus on the festival’s multi-textured performance and club program. Over the years TodaysArt has gained a reputation for being committed to truly pioneering live performances that offer audiences enthralling experiences. This year is no different with a program deeply vested in emerging scenes and genuine discovery.
TodaysArt 2017 program highlights
Headliners + Dutch premières
Oscar-nominated Hauschka performs a special live A/V show based on his latest album ‘What If’. Arranged as a one-man-piece, the show takes three prepared player pianos, which are explored for their percussive qualities. Mixed with electronic and noise elements they form the experimental playing field for Hauschka’s distinct imaginative soundscapes. The performance is followed by a special live set from celebrated German producer Christian Löffler.
Ata Kak, Ghanaian artist and icon behind the Awesome Tapes of Africa phenomenon, brings his buoyant live show to the festival. With his energising blend of highlife, rap, funk and electronica, he sets the stage the festival’s explosive club program.
Laurel Halo premières her newest solo work from her ephemeral and shapeshifting third album ‘Dust’. Additionally for ‘Still be Here’, a hybrid performance piece around virtual pop-idol Hatsune Miku, Halo has composed the score, as part of a special collaborative commission. ‘Still be Here’ looks at the multiple constructed identities of vocal synthesiser turned cyber-celebrity Hatsune Miku, who will take shape on stage as a 3D hologram projection. After debuting at CTM festival last year, ‘Still be Here’ is coming to TodaysArt for its Dutch première.
Tehran-based electronic music composer Sote presents ‘Sacred Horror in Design’, a Dutch première in collaboration with musicians Arash Bolouri (santoor) and Behrouz Pashaei (setar). The opening concert of the festival, Sote’s performance sets out to conjure a “Persian techno apocalypse” where electronics merge with traditional Persian acoustic instruments and meld together with a stunning A/V show by visual artist Tarik Barri (Thom Yorke, Monolake and Nicolas Jaar).
Thomas Ankersmit returns back to TodaysArt, with a world première of “Serge & Mondriaan”. A special commissioned piece, Ankersmit is retrieving the musical vision of Dutch modernist painter Piet Mondrian and translating it into an electronic composition for a contemporary audience using the first prototype of the Serge Modular synthesiser.
The festival’s line-up is still expanding alongside an impressive selection of audiovisual works and performative installations. More details and additions will be announced over the coming weeks.
Club nights
As Clone Records marks its 25th anniversary, the legendary Rotterdam label is curating one of the festival’s 7 club sessions inviting Legowelt, Aleksi Perala and Inga Mauer. Further genre-bending dance music comes from emerging talent Tomasa del Real, Marie Davidson, Clap! Clap! plus SHAPE artists Ron Morelli, Toxe, N.M.O. and Olivia. Winning over the crowd with her energetic techno set last year, Charlotte Bendiks returns with Boska for a special live set and Mexico-city-based label collective NAAFI completes the festival’s exciting spectrum of dance music.
Collaborators
TodaysArt is proud to collaborate again with SHAPE and We are Europe, supporting emerging artists and promoting creative diversity and exchange. Both European festival networks play a key role in TodaysArt 2017 performance and club program.
TodaysArt 2017 list of confirmed artists:
Aleksi Perala [FI] | Ata Kak [GHA] | Boska + Charlotte Bendiks [NO/NO] | Christian Löffler [DE] |
Clap! Clap! [IT] | Hauschka [DE] | “Still Be Here” with Hatsune Miku [JP] (Dutch preimière) |
Inga Mauer [RU] | Legowelt [NL] | Laurel Halo [US] (Dutch preimière) | Marie Davidson [CA] | NAAFI [MX] | N.M.O. [ES/NO/DE] | Olivia [PL] | Ron Morelli [US] | Sote + Tarik Barri [IR/NL] (Dutch preimière) |
Thomas Ankersmit [NL] (world preimière) | Tomasa del Real [ES] | Toxe [SE]
Explore our first wave of artists through our playlist.
About TodaysArt
TodaysArt is a network organisation specialised in the presentation and development of contemporary visual and performing arts and emerging culture. Since 2005 TodaysArt has brought artists, makers, thinkers and audiences together in inspiring contexts. Its main activity is the annual TodaysArt festival in The Hague. In addition TodaysArt organises and participates in a variety of international events, exhibitions and presentations and acts as co-producer for the development and distribution of artists and projects.
“TodaysArt silently rebels against the heavyweight-headliner virus by giving a platform to emerging talents that do not necessarily operate within a club context.” Resident Advisor
“TodaysArt may very well be the most progressive art festival in the Netherlands” The Creators Project (from Dutch)
“The Hague-based TodaysArt is one of the most progressive festivals in the world, with editions in Mexico, Koeweit, Moskou and Tokyo.” DJBroadcast (from Dutch)
TodaysArt would like to thank its partners:
Creative Europe We are Europe SHAPE City of The Hague Creative Industries Fund
Mondriaan Fund Fonds 21 Goethe Institut Nordisk Kulturfond Netherlands America Foundation
Delegation of Quebec True Stager BeamSystems Think Audio