"ÉRÅŒS" is the title of Matteo Carvone's new production, a solo endeavor in which Matteo takes on the dual roles of author and performer.
Following in the footsteps of his previous work "[FAUN]," a 50-minute duet also presented at the Venice Biennale, this new show once again centers around another mythological figure: the Greek god, Eros.
This archetypal character, which could easily be mistaken for a glaring cliché, the winged mischievous child known as Cupid to the Romans who shoots arrows left and right to ignite the flames of love, goes far beyond this stereotypical and romantic image. It symbolizes the intersection of pain and pure pleasure, revealing itself as a powerful and often disquieting creature, capable of manipulating and dominating the thoughts and will of both mortal and divine beings through their hearts. Eros embodies radical vitality, the very force of life, the intense and penetrating desire that generates new life. Eros is love, both violent and passionate, reciprocated and unrequited, made of pure pleasure and pure pain—a dualistic force sought after and, at the same time, feared.
Has Eros perhaps vanished, like every other god? But if that were truly the case, how could we continue to create without being pierced by his fiery arrows?