A highlight at Watermill Center's 21st Annual Summer Benefit, "One Thousand Nights and One Night: Sleepless Nights of Scheherazade" was "Sisyphus" by avant-garde stage director Dimitris Papaioannou.
"...Papaioannou again combines dance with a single object to create a mythic experience," according to art critic Gabrielle Selz.
"Sisyphus" is the opening segment of Papaioannou's new full-length piece "Still Life". The full work premiered on May 23, 2014 at the Onassis Cultural Centre in Athens and staged 17 sold-out performances through June 22, 2014. "Sisyphus" had its United States premiere at the 2014 Watermill Center summer benefit, bringing with it a piece of "Still Life" to America. Papaioannou also appeared in the performance.
"Sisyphus" is the second excerpted piece presented at a Watermill Center summer benefit by the Greek experimental theater stage director, choreographer and visual artist. In 2013, Papaioannou staged "Solo with Chairs from Medea (2)" in the same location and received accolades for the emotionally moving work.
.
“Solo with Chairs from Medea (2)” performed by Evangelia Rantou at the 2013 Watermill Center summer benefit. Photo by Tom Kochie.
.
"Last year at Watermill, he [Papaioannou] astounded viewers with his austere rendition of Medea", wrote Selz in a review of the 2014 annual summer benefit. "This time it is Sisyphus struggling with a great, crumbling wall."
"...At times the wall seems to devour Sisyphus, at other moments the wall appears to give birth to him," wrote Selz. "Minimal, directly concerned with the body and with the body’s place on the physical plane of the stage, as well as the metaphorical plane of the story, Papaioannou conjures simple, spellbinding magic."
To read the full review, click here.
To view images of the performance, view our slideshow:
View Slideshow.
"Sisyphus" by Dimitris Papaioannou performed at Watermill Center on July 26, 2014. Photo by Pat Rogers.
.
"Sisyphus" by Dimitris Papaioannou performed at Watermill Center on July 26, 2014. Photo by Pat Rogers.
.
"Sisyphus" by Dimitris Papaioannou performed at Watermill Center on July 26, 2014. Photo by Pat Rogers.
.
BASIC FACTS: Watermill Center's 21st Annual Summer benefit "One Thousand Nights and One Night: Sleepless Nights of Scheherazade” was held on July 26, 2014 in Water Mill, NY. The Watermill Center is located at 39 Watermill Towd Road, Water Mill, NY 11976. www.watermillcenter.org.
RELATED: "ART REVIEW: At Watermill Center: A Night of Bewitching Tales" by Gabrielle Selz.
To view images of the performance, view our slideshow:
View Slideshow.
_____________________________________
Copyright 2014 Hamptons Art Hub LLC. All rights reserved.