La Bête by Wagner Schwartz 

O Dia do Bicho – public programme of the exhibition Da calma fez-se o vento by Sandra Rocha 

And one often sees that of a body
Half already lives, and half is earth.
– Ovid

In dialogue with the exhibition Da calma fez-se o vento by Sandra Rocha, the dancer Wagner Schwartz presents La Bête (2005). The performer manipulates a replica of one of the sculptures from the series “Bichos” (1960) by Lygia Clark and, with the naked eye, is transfigured into sculpture. The metamorphosis of man into object gave the performer the restlessness of a possible exile, of the estrangement from Brazil, as well as from the scene after 2017 (the Portuguese audience was able to check such eventuality in the documentary Quem tem medo? shown at Doclisboa in 2022). The chaos existing in the meeting of fiction and reality challenges the constant evolution of the environments where we perform yesterday and today. In this performance or at its end, the audience is invited to participate.

Disclaimer: The performance includes nudity.

This performance is the occasion for the launch of Wagner Schwartz's new book, A Nudez da Cópia Imperfeita [The Nudity of the Imperfect Copy], published by Editora Nós. The novel swings between fiction and documentary and recounts the effects of the attacks on the performance La Bête, when presented at the Museu de Arte Moderna de São Paulo on 26 September 2017. The first chapter of the book will be read by the actress Maria de Medeiros.
 

After graduating in Literature, Wagner Schwartz (Volta Redonda, Rio de Janeiro, 1972) has participated in choreographic research and experimentation groups in South America and Europe. As the author of 13 performances, he received, among others, the Associação Paulista de Críticos de Arte award for “Best Artistic Project” for Piranha, and was selected by the Rumos Itaú Cultural Dança programme in 2000, 2003, 2009, and 2014. He was curator of the 10th Sesc Biennale of Dance, international collaborator of the Contemporary Festival of São Paulo, and resident artist in 2016, 2017, and 2018 of the International Theatre Festival of Curitiba. He has worked as a performer for choreographer Rachid Ouramdane, theatre director Yves-Noël Genod, artist Pierre Droulers, and filmmakers Judith Cahen and Masayasu Eguchi. In 2018, his first book of fiction Nunca juntos mas ao mesmo tempo was published by the publisher Nós. In 2021, he became a resident at the Cité Internationale des Arts, awarded by the Daniel and Nina Carasso Foundation programme, and in 2022 he was invited by ICORN (International Cities of Refuge Network) to participate in the PEN International residency in Antwerp (PEN Vlaanderen) supported by a grant from Open Society Foundations. He lives in Paris.
Support: SAM Arts Projects

At the age of 15, Maria de Medeiros began her career in Silvestre by João César Monteiro. With films such as Henry and June by Phil Kaufman and Pulp Fiction by Quentin Tarantino, she achieved international projection and since then has continued to work with directors from all over the world. She won the Volpi Cup for best actress at the Venice Film Festival for Teresa Villaverde's Two Brothers, My Sister. She directed the award-winning Capitães de Abril, Repare bem, and Aos nossos filhos. Besides having been distinguished with the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in France, she is also a theatre actress and singer.