PERSONAE. MASKEN GEGEN DIE BARBAREI

Alfred Jarry‘s »Ubu Roi« is arguably the most important anti-war and totalitarian farce in theatre history. Its preoccupation with the universality and banality of evil is more topical today than ever. The Spanish-Catalan surrealist Joan Miró provided a special perspective on Jarry with his drawings and stage figures based on the text. With exceptional artistry, Miró managed to simultaneously address the human urge – an urge which has existed since antiquity – to speak freely from beneath the protection of a mask. This work, in collaboration with the theatre group La Claca and its director Joan Baixas, led to an adaptation of Ubu Roi entitled »Mori el Merma«, with clear allusions to the Spanish dictator Francisco Franco. The production premiered in Palma de Mallorca in 1978. 2023 marks the 40th anniversary of the death and 130th birthday of the painter, who throughout his life always felt connected to the Bauhaus movement, naming Paul Klee as one of his main sources of inspiration.

Aware of the validity of the contents, Es Baluard Museu d’Art Contemporani in Mallorca commissioned the artist Robert Wilson to make an audio recording as his contribution to the exhibition »PERSONAE. Masks against barbarism«, a project curated by Imma Prieto. This resulted in the sound piece UBU SOUNDS THE ALARM, which accompanies the characters, accentuating the dementia and decadence of contemporary society.

This installation (puppets and audio) presented in Weimar is part of the exhibition taking place at Es Baluard as a prelude to the theatrical action, directed by Robert Wilson, which will premiere at end of 2022, before touring to KUNSTFEST WEIMAR in 2023.