The visual artist Jack Pierson commissioned Marc Arthur to create this devised theatre piece as part of his exhibition “Jesus and Nazimova” at Xavier Hufkins Gallery in Belgium. Using Pierson’s original art works as props and a 10ft ankh he created as the set piece, the performance mined complex emotional narratives surrounding historic and contemporary icons and iconography, including the larger-than-life personas of Rudolph Valentino, one of the great early 20th century stars of the silent screen. As gallery visitors visited the exhibition, they witnessed a series of devised vignettes that produced a tension between the mythical aura of the art objects on display and the human characters the performers embodied.
Xavier Hufkins Gallery (Brussels), Fall 2012
Script and Direction by Marc Arthur
Performers: Marc Arthur, Ryan Lawrence, and Shelbarta Jashari
