“There’s nothing wrong with standing back and thinking…. Nobody can think and hit somebody at the same time.”
(Susan Sontag, in Regarding the Pain of Others)
(Susan Sontag, in Regarding the Pain of Others)
Inspired by Picasso’s painting known as Guernica, FC Bergman is presenting a wordless multimedia production about the impossibility of depicting war.
Guernica became famous twice. The first time was when this Basque city was brutally destroyed during the Spanish Civil War, thus becoming the victim of the first strategic civilian bombardment in European history. The second time was not long afterward, when Pablo Picasso chose the atrocity as the subject for his similarly named and now immortal work of art.
Ironically, the fame of the work of art has largely outlived the fame of its own subject; people today remember the painting of the tragedy rather than the tragedy itself. And perhaps that is not even so strange….
FC Bergman takes a closer look at everyone involved in this war crime: those who suffered from it, those who caused it, and those who looked at it.
Guernica became famous twice. The first time was when this Basque city was brutally destroyed during the Spanish Civil War, thus becoming the victim of the first strategic civilian bombardment in European history. The second time was not long afterward, when Pablo Picasso chose the atrocity as the subject for his similarly named and now immortal work of art.
Ironically, the fame of the work of art has largely outlived the fame of its own subject; people today remember the painting of the tragedy rather than the tragedy itself. And perhaps that is not even so strange….
FC Bergman takes a closer look at everyone involved in this war crime: those who suffered from it, those who caused it, and those who looked at it.
"Guernica Guernica shows us that at some point art is also always about the spectator. Which is precisely why we cannot permit ourselves to ignore war in art: it forces us to engage in a soul-searching that is all too easily avoided in the daily flood of images in the news."
"With Guernica Guernica , FC Bergman has created a probing theatrical triptych about victims, perpetrators and witnesses. In an impressive visual production featuring no less than 80 extras, the Flemish theatre collective explores the relation between art and war."
"That is what this is about: seeing, seeing attentively and allowing the image to sink in. If we forget that, the next atrocity will be just around the corner. (...) “Guernica Guernica” is a work of a quality that you will rarely see. "
"Stef Aerts, Joé Agemans, Thomas Verstraeten and Marie Vinck, the four protagonists of the FC Bergman collective, have created three incredibly artistic scenes that leave the audience feeling at times deeply saddened, at times pure horror and at times mildly amused wonder. At the same time, however, they avoid any form of identification or overwhelm. Throughout the performance, the audience is aware that images are being created and experiences how they come about."
"Seldom has a production at the Ruhrtriennale asked so many questions about itself and about art – and about us. And seldom has such an oppressive story about war been told without a single word."
"Guernica at the Ruhrtriennale: scenes that make your flesh creep."
by and with
- Stef Aerts
- Joé Agemans
- Thomas Verstraeten
- Marie Vinck
with
- 80 figuranten
dramaturgy
- Koen Tachelet
costume design
- An D'Huys
- Elena De Lie (assistentie)
light design
- Bart Van Merode
sound design
- Maarten Van Cauwenberghe
production
- Toneelhuis
- FC Bergman
coproduction
- Ruhrtriennale
- Les Théâtres de la Ville de Luxembourg
- BRODER
with the support of
- de Tax Shelter maatregel v/d Belgische federale overheid via Gallop Tax Shelter
private producer
- Dirk Raes
