The 58th Bitef will be held under the slogan Beauty Will (Not) Save the World, showcasing artistic works that thematically explore the necessity of re-examining (archetypes of) femininity and interpreting well-known myths and stories from new, contemporary perspectives. The main focus of this year's festival, in the broadest sense, is connected with various forms of storytelling and narrative techniques, with special attention given to the lecture-performance format, featured in several works.
Just as Dostoevsky's notion of beauty will save the world refers to virtue and the beauty of the human soul, beauty in this context represents, above all, an ethical rather than merely an aesthetic category. It is simultaneously a sensory experience and a reflection of harmony, proportion, and order. Through the inevitable intertwining of ethics and aesthetics in shaping our experiences and the socio-political circumstances in which we live, beauty becomes a crucial means of achieving freedom—both personal and social. It nurtures our capacity for empathy and inspires social action.
However, the ambivalence of this slogan, in a world shattered by wars, brutality, horrific injustices, and extreme social divisions, suggests a critical reflection on whether anything, even something as sublime and noble as beauty, can truly save such a world. While the works presented in the main programme articulate this question in various ways, their value also lies in allowing space for the possibility of salvation.
Alongside Christos Papadopoulos' dance performance Mellowing, which articulates the idea of rebellion and resistance to strict conventions through minimalist and subtly expressive means, this year's Bitef will also present Tiago Rodrigues' Hecuba, Not Hecuba and Milo Rau's Antigone in the Amazon. These performances combine ancient dramas with documentary material to provide contemporary interpretations of two mythical heroines. In addition to Antigone in the Amazon, Žiga Divjak's Future also re-examines the relationship between humans and nature, this time challenging our anthropocentric view of the world. The programme also includes Rupture, directed by young Slovenian author Jan Krmelj, which, apart from addressing the theme of global collapse due to pandemics and ecological disasters, explores issues of surveillance and control, constantly navigating between documentary and fiction. Similarly, Christoph Frick's Palmasola - A Prison Village, based on a unique research of one of the world's most notorious prisons, follows this approach. Additionally, we will present three works in the format of lecture-performances (Sex Education II: Fight, We Are Going to Make Something about War, Gender, and Liberty, It Will Be Titled: What Would Chelsea Say, and this is my truth, tell me yours) that delve into the issues of the fight for reproductive rights, marginalized individuals' battles with the system and the issue of the authors' relationship to their own artistic fields. Finally, Carolina Bianchi's Cadela Força Trilogy - Chapter I: The Bride and The Goodnight Cinderella uses a radical approach to the theme of sexual violence and its treatment through the history of art, pushing the boundaries of performance. All the works in this year's selection re-examine the theme of beauty, understood as the unity of justice and aesthetics, in thrilling and innovative ways.
Defiance, courage, strength, persistence, empathy, and ultimately, the immense joy with which the authors and performers approach polarizing extremes are worthy of admiration. They not only lay bare the brutal and painful issues humanity continually faces but also reveal the cracks through which beauty manifests itself in various forms, not just in art but also in life. We believe that by doing so, the artists, whose radical and empowering reflections on these themes will be presented at Bitef, inspire and encourage us to build a more empathetic and just world, one that perhaps truly deserves to be saved.
In addition to the main programme, Bitef will traditionally feature the side programme, comprising the 25th Bitef Polyphony, Meeting the Authors, and Bitef's Theoretical Platform, which continues to develop the theoretical discourse accompanying the festival's main programme. Moreover, the twelfth edition of the regional travelling festival of contemporary circus, Cirkobalkana, will be part of the side programme, continuing Bitef's commitment to supporting and empowering marginalized artistic practices.
Nikita Milivojević, Artistic Director
Tijana Grumić, Dramaturge and Co-curator
Ksenija Đurović, Executive Director and Co-curator
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