Seven Can’t-Miss Events in Boston, February 2018
Including "Art in the Age of the Internet" at the ICA, CRASHfest, and more.
HOWDOYOUSAYYAMINAFRICAN?, thewayblackmachine.net, 2014-ongoing, courtesy the artists
FINE ARTS
“Art in the Age of the Internet, 1989 to Today”
The World Wide Web has been a source of wonder, resistance, and free communication, as well as a catalyst of chaos and dystopia. It’s also spawned some stunning artistic endeavors. In the first major U.S. exhibition on how the Internet has influenced generations of art, the ICA has assembled more than 70 works from 60 artists, bringing into sharp focus themes such as globalization, surveillance, and community-building.
The panoply of names involved is a who’s who of visual artists, including multimedia supernova Nam June Paik, photographer Cindy Sherman, electronic conceptual artist Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, and the global arts collective HOWDOYOUSAYYAMINAFRICAN?, whose far-flung members regularly use Skype, email, and texts to collaborate.
February 7–May 20, Institute of Contemporary Art, 617-478-3100, icaboston.org.
DANCE
Compagnie Accrorap
Boston has never seen a spectacle quite like The Roots, an original work led by choreographer Kader Attou. The show combines hip-hop dance with ballet, acrobatics, and performance art in a way that’s energizing and beautiful.
February 2–3, Shubert Theatre, 866-348-9738, bochcenter.org.
SEAWORTHINESS
New England Boat Show
Avast, ye landlubbers, and drop anchor at this massive showcase of all things nautical. Moms and dads can scope out the 600-plus boats, while the kids can explore a genuine U.S. Coast Guard craft, play on a 40-foot inflatable humpback whale, and make their own toy boats.
February 10–18, Boston Convention & Exhibition Center, newenglandboatshow.com.
DIVA
Carla Bruni
She’s a former supermodel, the former first lady of France, and—mais oui!—an international recording superstar. Nowadays, Bruni is touring behind her latest album, French Touch, in which her dusky alto and Eurocabaret style winningly transform songs by Depeche Mode, the Clash, ABBA, and—zut alors!—AC/DC.
February 15, Berklee Performance Center, 617-747-2261, berklee.edu/BPC.
ICON
Robert Plant
It’s rare to see a member of Led Zeppelin in person, let alone legendary lead singer Robert Plant. But forget Zeppelin. Since the ’80s, Plant has pieced together one of the most consistently excellent discographies of any solo artist. His latest, Carry Fire, features his versatile backing band, the Sensational Space Shifters, who provide Plant with a trademark blend of rock, world music, and electronics.
February 16, Orpheum Theatre, 617-482-0106, crossroadspresents.com.
COMEDY
College Comedy Festival
Call it the clash of the laughs: For 14 years running, ImprovBoston has brought in the top college improv groups from around New England to perform over three days and crown one the funniest. Can last year’s winner, UMass Amherst’s Mission: IMPROVable, take the crown again?
February 22–24, ImprovBoston, 617-576-1253, improvboston.com.
FESTIVAL
CRASHfest
The House of Blues turns into an atlas of sound with World Music/CRASHarts’ annual celebration of global musicians, from Malian guitar star Vieux Farka Touré to the all-female mariachi band Flor de Toloache and Cambridge’s own Só Sol.
February 24, House of Blues, 888-693-2583, houseofblues.com/boston.
