Cate Blanchett
Catherine Elise Blanchett, born on May 14, 1969, is an accomplished Australian actress and producer. Widely recognized as one of the finest talents of her generation, she has showcased her incredible versatility across various genres, including independent films, blockbusters, and stage productions. Throughout her career, she has earned numerous prestigious awards, including two Academy Awards, four British Academy Film Awards, and four Golden Globe Awards. Moreover, she has been nominated for a Tony Award and two Primetime Emmy Awards.
Blanchett began her artistic journey at the National Institute of Dramatic Art, honing her skills on the Australian stage. Her big-screen breakthrough came in 1997, and she achieved international fame with her compelling portrayal of Queen Elizabeth I in the biographical period drama "Elizabeth" (1998), which garnered her first Academy Award nomination. Another standout performance came in the biopic "The Aviator" (2004), where she portrayed Katharine Hepburn and won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She later clinched the Academy Award for Best Actress for her remarkable role as a neurotic former socialite in the comedy-drama "Blue Jasmine" (2013).
Blanchett's remarkable talent has earned her multiple Oscar nominations, including for her roles in "Notes on a Scandal" (2006), "I'm Not There" (2007), "Elizabeth: The Golden Age" (2007), "Carol" (2015), and "Tár" (2022), establishing her as the most-nominated Australian actor. On the commercial front, she has been part of major hits such as "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy (2001–2003), "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" (2008), "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" (2008), "Cinderella" (2015), "Thor: Ragnarok" (2017), "Ocean's 8" (2018), and "Don't Look Up" (2021).
Beyond the silver screen, Blanchett has showcased her theatrical prowess in more than twenty stage productions. Alongside her husband, Andrew Upton, she served as the artistic director of the Sydney Theatre Company from 2008 to 2013. During this period, she garnered critical acclaim for her performances in acclaimed revivals such as "A Streetcar Named Desire," "Uncle Vanya," "Big and Little," and "The Maids." She made her Broadway debut in 2017, receiving a Tony Award nomination for her role in "The Present."
Additionally, Blanchett has demonstrated her talent in producing and acting through her Emmy-nominated role as Phyllis Schlafly in the period drama miniseries "Mrs. America" (2020).
Throughout her illustrious career, Blanchett has been honored with several prestigious awards. The Australian government awarded her the Centenary Medal in 2001, and she was appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia in 2017. In recognition of her contributions to arts and culture, the French government appointed her as a Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters in 2012. The Museum of Modern Art honored her in 2015 with the British Film Institute Fellowship. Blanchett has also received honorary Doctor of Letters degrees from the University of New South Wales, University of Sydney, and Macquarie University. Time magazine recognized her as one of its 100 most influential people in the world in 2007, and in 2018, she was ranked among the world's highest-paid actresses.
The love for art
It's widely known that prominent individuals, including actors, singers, and athletes, have a strong affinity for art. Among them is the renowned Hollywood actress Cate Blanchett, who, in addition to her accolades as an award-winning performer, is an avid art enthusiast and collector.
Blanchett's passion for art has been evident for quite some time. Back in 2015, she took on a unique project by starring in the film "Manifesto," directed by the German artist Julian Rosefeldt. In this film, she skillfully portrayed thirteen distinct characters, reciting manifestos penned by artists from various art movements, spanning from Kazimir Malevich's Suprematist Manifesto (1916) to Mierle Laderman Ukeles' Fluxus Manifesto (1963).
Continuing her artistic explorations, in 2019, Blanchett played the role of Izabella Barta, a slightly exaggerated version of the prominent performance artist Marina Abramovic, in an episode of the satirical series "Documentary Now!" The episode humorously parodied Abramovic's renowned performance piece "The Artist Is Present" (2012).
Building upon her involvement in the art world, in 2020, Cate Blanchett appeared in a captivating video installation titled "The Four Temperaments." This thought-provoking installation, conceptualized by Italian artist Marco Brambilla, delved into the theory of "personality types." It was showcased at the esteemed Michael Fuchs Galerie in Berlin.
Presently, the talented actress is taking her passion for art to the next level by creating her own art gallery. This space, designed by the London-based Adam Richards Architects, is set to accommodate her substantial art collection and promises to be a haven for art enthusiasts and connoisseurs alike.
Julian Rosefeldt’s Manifesto
When we gaze upon an artwork gracefully displayed on the pristine walls of a museum, it's only natural for our minds to wander and wonder about the circumstances that led to its creation. We find ourselves pondering the life of the artist—what experiences shaped them, what historical events they witnessed and responded to, and what perspectives they held about the world surrounding them. Some artists depart from this world without leaving any explanations behind, content to leave their audience in contemplation. On the other hand, some creators take an entirely different approach, boldly expressing their beliefs in manifestoes, leaving no room for misinterpretation of their work. But can we truly trust these manifestoes?
These questions, combined with a profound admiration for the poetic nature of manifestoes, became the driving force behind the German artist Julian Rosefeldt's extraordinary 13-part video installation, which is currently on display at the Smithsonian's Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C. This ambitious project, titled "Manifesto," celebrates and subverts some of the art world's most renowned texts. The exhibition is made possible through a collaboration with the Goethe-Institut. In this captivating work, the esteemed stage and screen actress Cate Blanchett (known for her roles in films like "Carol" and "Blue Jasmine") embodies 13 distinct personas, each featured in separate vignettes that bring these manifestoes to life.
In a variety of guises, ranging from a stern and strict schoolteacher to a misanthropic homeless man, complete with a raspy voice and unkempt beard, Cate Blanchett delivers earnest and self-important monologues composed of excerpts from artistic manifestoes. Some of these manifestoes are well-known among art enthusiasts, while others are more obscure, but all carry significant importance in the evolution of art across the globe. Each of Blanchett's roles, as both she and Julian Rosefeldt, the creator, explain, serves as a vessel to embody specific artistic themes, such as futurism, Dada, or surrealism. These roles are not so much characters in the conventional sense, but rather vehicles for expressing ideas.
Both Rosefeldt and Blanchett are renowned for their intellectual prowess, and this is evident in the piece's rigorous intellectual nature. However, what comes as a delightful surprise is the installation's striking sense of humor. The comedic aspect of "Manifesto" emerges from Rosefeldt's clever reinterpretation of the source material. He blends actions and text in unexpected ways, creating scenes that challenge traditional boundaries.
One memorable example of this humor is a funeral scene in which viewers anticipate a conventional eulogy from Blanchett. Instead, she launches into a Dadaist tirade, ridiculing bourgeois institutions and advocating for the eradication of authoritarian structures in global society. The absurdity heightens as the grieving crowd passively accepts the verbal onslaught, seemingly unaffected by the radical ideas presented.
This satire serves not only to poke fun at the artists themselves but also to confront the audience. In one scene, Blanchett assumes the role of a didactic schoolteacher, instructing a class of young children with Jim Jarmusch's "Golden Rules of Filmmaking" and other prescriptive texts. Her authoritative and stifling demeanor mirrors Jarmusch's tone in his own "Rules," and the contrived nature of the scene mirrors the often dogmatic and rigid rules proposed by many manifestoes.
Overall, "Manifesto" is a captivating and intellectually stimulating exploration of artistic manifestoes, skillfully brought to life by Cate Blanchett's transformative performances and Julian Rosefeldt's insightful and humorous reimagining of the source material.
Despite its humorous and playful approach, "Manifesto" is not intended to be mean-spirited. Julian Rosefeldt holds deep respect for much of the material he uses, often finding it eloquent and potent. His objective is not to discredit the manifestoes but rather to infuse them with humor and playfully expose their perceived certainty. He acknowledges that many of us tend to revere manifestoes penned by now-famous artists, overlooking the fact that these texts were often written during periods of profound personal uncertainty. Rather than seeing them as secure declarations, Rosefeldt views them as expressions of vulnerability, crafted by young and passionate individuals grappling with their insecurities, jotting down fervent ideas in cafes.
The "Manifesto" video installation serves as the focal point of the broader Hirshhorn exhibition "Manifesto: Art X Agency." This exhibition thoughtfully incorporates artworks from the museum's collection, arranged chronologically to align with the progression of 20th-century artistic movements associated closely with manifesto texts.
As visitors journey through the exhibition, they are introduced to the technologically focused Italian Futurism movement from the early years of the century. They then immerse themselves in the anti-authoritarian and rebellious Dada impulses that emerged during the tumultuous period of World War I. Moving further, they encounter Surrealism's emergence in the interwar era, drawing inspiration from Freudian psychology and the concept of subjective truth as a response to mounting disillusionment.
The exhibition "Manifesto" unfolds a compelling narrative of evolving ideologies, traversing through various artistic movements and periods. It begins with introspective and often melancholic studies in Abstract Expressionism, which emerged in the aftermath of World War II. As time progressed, there was a shift towards overtly political expressions, as seen in the emergence of Pop Art and the rise of activist art collectives like the Guerrilla Girls. Additionally, ideological reinterpretations, exemplified by Adam Pendleton's Black Dada, also played a significant role in shaping the artistic landscape.
Stéphane Aquin, the chief curator, points out that many of the more recent pieces in the exhibition function as manifestoes in their own right, displaying a strong sense of agency and purpose.
Throughout the "Manifesto" exhibition, gallery visitors are immersed in a journey through art history, gaining essential historical context that enables them to fully appreciate Julian Rosefeldt's inventive distortion of that context in his 12-part audiovisual experience.
Above all, Rosefeldt's intention is for his cinematic reimagining of artists' manifestoes to prompt museum-goers to question their preconceived notions about the neatness and definitiveness of art history. He aims to humanize his subjects and highlight their fallibility, reminding us that what is presented within the pristine confines of a museum or on a pedestal is not necessarily authoritative or complete. By challenging these assumptions, he encourages a deeper connection with the human aspects of art and its creators.
The collection and the gallery project
Actress Cate Blanchett had a vision of constructing a dedicated space on her East Sussex estate to showcase her remarkable collection of contemporary art. However, she encountered an unexpected challenge: The proposed gallery might have to share its space with a colony of bats, and possibly even some ghosts.
Last year, Blanchett submitted plans for the new building, which involved demolishing an old, dilapidated cottage and shed on the property. During the surveying process, it was discovered that pipistrelle and brown long-eared bats were roosting in the garrets of these structures. As these bats are protected species, Blanchett is legally prohibited from demolishing the buildings without obtaining a special license from Natural England.
According to documents obtained from the Daily Mail, the local district council recently granted approval for the new structure. However, there is a condition attached to the approval: Blanchett must submit a "bat mitigation strategy" to safeguard and provide suitable accommodations for the creatures.
As a result, the construction plans will now likely include a designated "bat loft" specially designed to incorporate the bats' needs, and this aspect of the project will be handled by London's Adam Richards Architects, the firm overseeing the construction.Apart from the art gallery, Blanchett's upcoming building will encompass a variety of additional spaces, including a garden office, a meditation room, and a rehearsal area.
As an ardent art collector, Blanchett has amassed a notable collection over the years, which is believed to include artworks by prominent artists such as Guan Wei, Paula Rego, Howard Hodgkin, Rosalie Gascoigne, Bill Hammond, Bill Robinson, Polly Borland, Zhang Huan, and Tim Maguire, as reported by Tatler. In 2016, together with her husband, Australian playwright Andrew Upton, she acquired the Victorian estate, known as Highwell House, at an estimated cost of £3.75 million ($5.1 million). This historic dwelling, built in 1890, has seen its fair share of distinguished inhabitants, including Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and actor Tom Baker.
However, what truly intrigues many are the rumors surrounding the estate's potential paranormal activity. Before Blanchett's acquisition, pentagrams were discovered on the floors of the building, leading some to speculate about its haunted nature and the possibility of past or present famous spirits lingering within its walls.
Selena Mattei
| ArtMajeur Magazine