Crucial exchanges on artistic responsibility in a time of crumbling social dialogue
The next performance of our Digital Stage series is ”Artists Talk” by innovative playwright-director Gianina Cărbunariu, the driving force behind a radical aesthetic and thematic overhaul of Romanian theater of the last years. Never shy to ask the tough questions and to pierce the veils of hypocrisy and pretense, the show, structured as a succession of feigned Q&As, examines the role and responsibility of the artist as author of public discourse in a world where social dialogue has become ever more fractured or parochial. A witty, necessary, ironic performance, based on thorough documentation and expertly performed.
Facebook premiere on Saturday, November 21 at 6 p.m. New York & Toronto time / 3 p.m. Los Angeles & Vancouver time. (Please follow the link to watch.)
*For latecomers, the recording will remain available until November 22 at 1 p.m.
Photo credit: Adi Bulboacă
ARTISTS TALK
Concept by Gianina Cărbunariu
Directed by Gianina Cărbunariu
Set Design: Dorothee Curio
Original Score: Bobo Burlăcianu
Video: Mihai Păcurar
Cast: Ruxandra Maniu, Ilinca Manolache, Gabriel Răuță, Alexandru Potocean, Bogdan Zamfir
Performed in English, Romanian and French with English subtitles
Duration: 1 h 45 min (no intermission)
Produced by ARCUB – The Cultural Centre of Bucharest Municipality together with Piese Refractare Association
"By using the convention of artist talks, we tried to bring together different points of view: situations where ethics, although allegedly part of the discourse, are left behind either because of ill will or out of ignorance, negligence or vanity, or where ethics are simply left out of the equation altogether by the followers of art, for art’s sake. The six scenes in the performance are inspired either by discussions with audiences I have performed in front of in the last couple of years at home or abroad, or by interviews, and although the similarities with real people are not accidental, the performance doesn’t aim to associate a certain artist with a certain discourse. As part of the system, we were interested in understanding the way that artists’ (ir)responsibilities show through their discourse about their own approach, and the world they live in." - Gianina Cărbunariu