January 2004

Mexican Spanish phrasebook

So, a quarter of Brits spend less than two hours deciding on where to go on holiday – less time than it takes to check in at the airport, according to the ‘Holiday Habits’ study from Norwich Union released today.

Furthermore, one in ten book a holiday with no prior research about the resort or country they will be visiting. Depressingly, many don’t seem to care, with ‘experiencing another culture’ seen to be the least important consideration when booking their holiday. Almost one third admit to travelling without knowing the local customs or bothering to learn the basics of how to say “hello”, “please”, “thank-you” and “goodbye” when holidaying in a non-English speaking country.

Chances are, if you’re reading this, you are not one of their number. However, seven out of ten tourists also admit they regularly travel without the recommended medical jabs or any travel insurance. This is less hard to believe, but ill-advised. Trust me, Know Before You Go.

After an 11-month, £1m refurbishment, the Barbican Art Gallery in London re-opens on 29 April with a greatly enhanced and more flexible gallery space. The upper level of the gallery will show a collection of rare photographs by Tina Modotti and Edward Weston.

The exhibition, Tina Modotti and Edward Weston: The Mexico Years, runs from 29 April to 1 August 2004, and brings together, for the first time, over 150 images, many rarely exhibited, by the two key figures of Mexican Modernist photography.

The exhibition will demonstrate how each artist responded to, and participated in, The Mexican Renaissance in post-Revolutionary Mexico during the 1920s. Works by Manuel Álvarez Bravo (1902-2002) and Mariana Yampolsky (1925-2002) – Mexican photographers who were directly influenced by the work of Modotti and Weston will complement the display.

Photo credits: TOP: Tina Modotti – Illustration for a Mexican Song, 1927; BOTTOM: Tina Modotti – Woman with a Flag, 1928; Printed by Richard Benson, 1982; Courtesy of Isabel Carbajal Bolandi. Photos: Digital images © 2003 The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Reproduced with permission.

Happy to pass on news of the Third Rural Tourism Fair, which takes place in Oaxaca on Saturday 31st January. The event runs from 16:00 to 21:00 and there will be refreshments, including tamales! Exhibitors include local tour providers, artesans and community representatives. This event is free and open to the public, with both Spanish and English spoken. The event is co-organised by our amigo Ron Mader of Planeta.com.