A video-opera exploring violence
The Athens Festival is currently presenting the work of British artist Eve Sussman and her troupe, the Rufus Corporation. «The Rape of the Sabine Women,» a video-opera inspired by Jacques-Louis David’s painting of the same name is being presented for one final night in the Benaki Museum’s atrium tonight. Sussman’s project (the world premiere of which took place in Thessaloniki last November) was inspired by the 1799 masterpiece which hangs in the Louvre in Paris. The painting depicts a chapter in the history of Rome – when founder Romulus ordered the abduction of the Sabine women in order to provide his city with much-needed wives. The artist has set her own take on the story in the 1960s and uses a real meat market (the Varvakeios) as the scenery for the abduction. At the same time, the ancient myth acts as a vehicle for exploring violence, aggression and the hot issue of the battle between the sexes. Shot in Athens, on Hydra and in Berlin, the video-opera features an international cast, including Themis Bazaka, Savina Yannatou and Jeff Wood. For further information, contact the Benaki Museum (138 Pireos, tel 210.3453.111). The performance starts at 9.30 p.m.
