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MONUMENT: THE SCHOOL OF ATHENS
Ivana Ivković

Unique performance
Friday, 28.04.2023 at 19:00
The Academy of Athens and Goethe-Institut Athen

Text: Jordan Cvetanović

The new site-specific performance by the artist Ivana Ivković entitled MONUMENT: THE SCHOOL OF ATHENS is part of MONUMENT: NO ONE IS LOST, a series of delegated performances created for the long-term exhibition project EVROVIZION. CROSSING STORIES AND SPACES by ifa (Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen) and will be realised in collaboration with Goethe-Institut Athen and EMΣT, the National Museum of Contemporary Art Athens. The series explores the relationship between the human (male) body, identity, and the specific context of place. It reflects on contemporary time, its (post-)apocalyptic nature, and the sense of the end of the world as we know it, questioning whether there is room for certain new options and choices that depend on the individual. The inversion of a gaze between exposed male bodies in formation on one side, and the audience on the other, makes it function like a mirror that reflects various issues, layers of history, prejudices, and taboos present in different societies.

The initial metaphor – the visual and ideological point of reference for the performance in Athens – is Raphael’s eponymous masterpiece The School of Athens, a fresco located in the Apostolic Palace in Vatican City. In this complex allegory of secular knowledge and philosophy, Raphael presents a scene with some of the most important ancient and classical philosophers, scientists and artists, contemplating and debating in a splendid architectural setting inspired by ancient Greece. The performance MONUMENT: THE SCHOOL OF ATHENS starts from the ambiguity of the fresco itself, representing the values of Western civilization rooted in ancient Greek thought and renewed through the Renaissance and humanism, pointing out the connection with the present time, in which the world is in a state of extreme exhaustion and experiencing numerous ecological, ethical and political crises. Inspired by the humanistic vision of the painting, the performance is also a call for communication on these themes, as well as an invitation to engage in exchange and dialogue about the issues and dilemmas that we, as humanity, face today. The performance addresses questions of Greek identity and the image of classical Greece, pointing to the tension between different narratives – one coming from outside, created and nurtured by the West, and one existing within Greek society, both historically and in the present.

The performance MONUMENT: THE SCHOOL OF ATHENS will last approximately two hours and will take place in two different locations. The performance starts in a public space – in front of the Academy of Athens – and continues in the amphitheatre of the Goethe-Institut in Athens. Most of the performers are based in Athens, except for three actors from Belgrade/RS.

The performance has been commissioned by ifa (Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen).