Art Attack: Two Davids, Seven Shorts and Who Knows How Many Japanese Women Wrestling

We have a rather bookish week coming up, so get your Steve Urkel suspenders from the dry cleaners and polish off those glasses. Author David Mitchell is in town for two book talks and David O’Dell tells all about Chinese punk rock. Also catch the fun Future Shorts Film Fest, as well as Japanese wrestling doc Gaea Girls.

If you haven’t seen our interview with David Mitchell, check it out here, then check out the details for his two book talks below. We spoke on the phone with him, and he is a delightful, witty Englishman who taught English in Japan for years before parlaying his skills into novel writing (come on, we know one out of every five of you reading this is trying to do the same thing). The rest of you, spend enough time listening to Mitchell and he’ll charm you into wanting to be a writer too.

One of his novels, Cloud Atlas, is being made into a film starring Tom Hanks, Hugh Grant, Halle Berry, Jim Broadbent and others (see photo, above). It's being touted as "the next Inception," which is good, because my subconscious needs more complicated plots to puzzle through while I'm trying to live my life.

For you punk rockers, David O’Dell is here in town with a punk music showcase, but he’ll also be talking about his new book, The Story of Chinese Punk, next Tuesday at The Bookworm.

The next Beijing edition of the Future Shorts festival takes place on Saturday at the UCCA. Please note that the time of the screenings has changed from 2pm to 4pm per some shuffling at the venue. If you show up early, just check out the art exhibits, then watch the films. Problem solved.

As usual, other screenings abound. Don’t let Liu Xiang’s unfortunate run kill your spirit for sport. Instead, catch Japanese women battling it out in the pro-wrestling circuit in the documentary Gaea Girls. Or you can go back to a simpler time, when showing some leg simply meant getting a ride faster. It Happened One Night, starring Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert, plays on The Bookworm’s rooftop next Thursday.

In other news, Dov Simens’ film course next weekend has been cancelled. Three Shadows' Future Curators Photography Curating course begins this weekend. If you're still interested, shoot them a call or email.

Arrow Factory closes up shop on their current exhibit this weekend, while the graffiti show at G-Dot Art Space ends next weekend.

As usual, all other events details below.

EVENTS
Aug 11
Book Talk: David Mitchell and Xu Zechen
Two weathered authors bring their different experiences and cultural backgrounds to discuss the challenges of novel writing. Part of the UK Now [www.uknow.org.cn] festival’s literature program. Free. 2.30pm. Sculpting in Time (8403 6986)

Film Festival: Future Shorts
Find out what happens when a New Yorker meets a chicken, a Korean teenager surprises his dad’s mistress and a kid dreams during Biology class. RMB 15, RMB 10 (students), free (members). 4pm. UCCA (8459 9269)

Aug 12
Book Talk: David Mitchell
The Booker-nominated author speaks in an intimate theater. Part of the UK Now [www.uknow.org.cn] festival’s literature program. Free. 7pm. UCCA (8459 9269)

Aug 14
Book Talk: The Story of Chinese Punk
David O’Dell tells all about the early days of China’s punk rock scene. RMB 30, RMB 20 (members). 7.30pm. The Bookworm (6503 9507)

Aug 15
Film: Gaea Girls
Dive into Japan’s own version of the WWF – where the wrestlers are women. RMB 40 (includes coffee or tea). 7.30pm. Riverbank Café (6506 8277)

Aug 16
Film: It Happened One Night
Claudette Colbert teaches us to hitch a ride by showing some leg in this Oscar-winning romantic comedy. Free. 8pm. The Bookworm (6503 9507)

Ongoing
Future Curators Course
Aug 11-Sep 30. Three Shadows is taking students. In this weekend course, learn the history of art photography and how to curate your own exhibit from international experts. See www.threeshadows.cn for more info. Three Shadows Photography Art Centre (6432 2663)

NEW ART EXHIBIT

Adolf Graessmann: 2012 Human Relations
Aug 11-Sep 11. Abstract sculptures in this little gallery off the beaten path. Free. XYZ Gallery (5762 3017)

ENDING SOON

Osman Bozkurt: How to Turn the World by Hand – Anatomy of a Deal
Until Aug 13. Bozkurt concludes a year-long collaboration among art spaces in Beijing, Istanbul and Edinburgh with a study of the calculator. Free. Arrow Factory (no tel)

Do Not Erase
Until Aug 18. Work by artists from France, Switzerland, Brazil and the US in the largest
show of street art to hit Beijing. Free. G-Dot Art Space (6057 3345)

Photo: Moviesblog.mtv.com