www.IranDokht.com
By:
Mahasti Shahrokhi , PhD
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Translator: Maryam Babaki
Yasamina Reza, the award-winning Parisian author describes herself as “I don’t feel writing is my profession. I don’t know what is my profession”. She is small, with dark eyes, somewhere in her late thirties. Born in France to a Hungarian mother and a father with Persian roots, she is the mother of a thirteen years old daughter and an eight years old son.
Her first play, “Conversations after a Burial” (1987), won a Moliere award, as did her second play, “Winter Crossing” (1990). But it was her third play, “Art” (1994), that achieved international fame. Since then, she has written many award winning plays staged in the most prestigious theaters in the world. These include “The Unexpected Man” (1995), “HammerKlavier: raecit” (1997), and Theater (1998). She has also written a novel entitled “Une Desolation” (1999). “Une Desolation”, published in France a few months ago, has been translated into several languages and has attracted the attention of many critics. This novel was nominated for several important literary awards in France, including the Gonccourt. Reza’s latest work, “Life X3” (2001) was first staged in Vienna and is currently on stage in Paris, London, and Athens. In this play she herself plays one of the characters. This is not surprising, since she is an actress who began to write because she was “tired of waiting for interesting parts to act.”
Just like many freelance artists, Reza has faced difficulties in bringing her plays to stage and has been left out of government assistance and other French support networks. As such, she had to stage her first two plays in Germany; “Art” was finally staged in Paris in a commercial (as opposed to governmental) theatre.
“Art”, with performances by Jean-Louis Trintignant, Jean Roche fort, Pierre Arditi, Pierre Vaneck and Fabrice Luchini, was met with unprecedented success. In 1995, “Art” was awarded the Moliere Prize for Best Play and Best Performance. The recorded version of this play was broadcast on French television a few months ago. “Art” was also performed on Broadway featuring several well-known artists and won a prestigious Tony award. . Finally, Sean Connery bought the film rights. “Art” isn’t about art, but about men’s friendship, honesty, and obsession with modernism and social status. The story revolves around a white modern painting bought by Serge at an excessive price. This painting leads to a long discussion among these old friends, and brings forth the different viewpoints of these three men as each expresses his own thoughts. The painting becomes the medium through which everything about an old friendship is questioned, and then threatened.
“Art”, directed by Nicole Mirot and with performances by the Kangaroo Group, was also staged at the Garage Avinion Theatre. Contrary to the first successful performance, in this performance the stage is naked, only three stools are available to the performers, and there is no sign of the painting. It is in our imagination whether the painting is shapeless. It is in this performance that the wit and the intelligence of the play are brought out. The clever and imaginative direction by Nicole Mirot is remarkable. Nicole Mirot escapes realism by seeking her own imagination and in enhancing the meaning of the play allows the audience to think freely and develop an understanding of the play on their own. The relativism of art, meanings, friendships and our personal understanding and knowledge of each other through our language are more colorfully and meaningfully portrayed in this successful performance with an empty stage.
Additionally, “Art” has been published in Farsi in two unsuccessful translations.
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“Art” isn’t about art, but about men’s friendship, honesty, and obsession with modernism and social status. " |
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