A dwarf born in the land of giants, a man who believes in beauty, youth and the future, an artist 24 hours a day, all his life... This is how he describes himself in dashes Jan Fabr (Jan Fabre) Belgian multimedia artist, theater and visual artist, pedagogue and writer while speaking for Vijesti on the topic of theatre, art, society and change...
He is known throughout the world for his works that shook the foundations of European theater in the 45s. It is said that he was the first living artist to exhibit at the Louvre in Paris, and for more than XNUMX years he has been engaged in pedagogical work that explores and elevates to higher levels. .. He collected his approaches to performance in an innovative book that represents a kind of guideline and guide for individual, but also partner, artistic development, which is available to interested parties in Montenegro as of this year.
The book "From Act to Acting - Jan Fabre's Handbook for the Performer of the 21st Century", published by the Coryfej Theater from Kolašin and the Faculty of Dramatic Arts from Cetinje, is signed by Fabr and Luk van den Dries, and has been translated into the Montenegrin language. In addition, Jan Fabro's troupe held a Masterclass, workshops for interested Montenegrin artists during January, when he was also in Montenegro.
"The satisfaction of work and the satisfaction of research must be a guide for actors, dancers, choreographers, and directors. The commitment to explore yourself and the satisfaction with it, because your body is your tool, you are the essence of the scene, basically. And love, love for the craft, for the profession, love for the body, love for myself, all that brought me to where I am. In essence, everything is about love, and so is this book, on which three of my main artists-performers, who have been in my artistic troupe for more than 10 years, as well as some other people, worked on it for 20 years", said Fabr earlier.
He also pointed out that he was encouraged to take the step of (re)publishing the world-famous book in Montenegro by the dedication of the actress Anđelija Rondović, who attended his workshops in Antwerp, but also by his enthusiasm for the director Zoran Rakočević, who took care of their child during that period. On that occasion, the world-renowned director, choreographer and scenographer felt a great love between them, and a common love for art, and this is what has attracted and guided him throughout his life, since childhood...
In an interview with Vijesti, Fabr talks about his book and art, dedication to creativity, creation, but also himself, intuition and mind. He points out that it is necessary to get acquainted with the classics of world art, in order to create further and in order to create modern, contemporary art and the avant-garde.
What does your book, translated into the Montenegrin language, bring to the actor?
This is a book we have been working on for 10 years and I think it is good for everyone - actors, dancers, choreographers, directors. It will sharpen their imagination, make them think about physiological processes in the body and be aware that emotions are not something that comes from outside, but that they arise inside us, in our physical and mental reactions.
How would you describe the process from action to interpretation, i.e. from the title of the book "From Act to Acting" and what does that mean for you?
I will try to explain in the simplest way. I introduced my performative experience as a visual artist in the early 80s into the theater code and in a certain sense developed my own language. I think that the actors I work with, the Warriors of Beauty (the name his players get after five years of training under Fabr's guidance, ed. new), have a bit of the same craziness and passion as I do. You know, I'm not a nine-to-five artist or during working hours, I'm a 24-hour artist, and I also think that the people I work with are the same - dedicated to the work, passionate about it. It is a constant process of learning, failure, discovery, self-improvement. Sometimes he sinks or falls most of the time, but then he gets up and goes on. By studying, you learn to deal with everything, on different levels. Given that we are all unbalanced as human beings, I always strive to connect my brain with my heart and gender. Connecting intelligence and intuition with instincts, I think that as a person you can achieve this in your work and life. I think that's my goal as well.
Do you remember any experience or situation as particularly important for your artistic practice?
You know, I was raised by parents who were very much in love with each other. They knew that true intimacy of love. They were art lovers. My father instilled in me a love of painting. Very early on, he started taking me to museums and taught me to draw, and I started copying the paintings of PP Rubens, A. Van Dyck, Hieronymus Bosch, Jan van Eyck. He was poor and a communist, while my mother came from a rich, bourgeois Catholic family. Although he attended the academy and drew excellently, due to poverty he worked other jobs, while his mother, as a bourgeois, was an educated teacher of the French language. She instilled in me a love for language. She translated poems by Baudelaire, Rimbaud, Brassens, Lucien Delis, Georges Brassens... I am the child of such a Belgian marriage where painting and language go together. I was educated with a lot of love, but also rebellion. And I think that is very important for me, even to this day. My parents were two brilliant minds and great people who had a passion for life and basically taught me much more than any school could.
How different are today's times from when you entered the scene and how do you perceive it?
Today, we are looking for something new, avant-garde and simple, but many do not know that this does not mean that we should leave tradition behind. All this can be identified with growing up. For me, tradition is very important, because without tradition there is no avant-garde. What is happening in Belgium, France, Holland, Germany, you feel that there is a kind of lack of tradition... National or national authors no longer create such good works as Shakespeare or Chekhov did. Everything has become mediocre, a bit like television, in some MTV style of image and direction. I think it's sad, because when the young generation doesn't have a good example from tradition and a classic to look up to, then it can't even fight against it and create a good avant-garde. Of course, times have changed. In that sense, I am a medieval artist. I believe in beauty. I believe in the power of beauty, in the vulnerability of beauty. And I believe that an artist needs a whole life to become a young artist, if you understand me. Today, many young artists want to become famous, immediately and now. I don't have a computer, I don't have children, I don't have a mobile phone, but I see that many young artists are busy with Instagram, followers, they want to become popular... It has a big impact on the scene of the theater world, in the game world, in the visual arts.
How does all this, artificial intelligence, technology, networks, networking... affect art and culture?
Everything is always on time, in my opinion. When they invented computers, the mobile phone, and even Facebook, we all thought it was something bad... Terrible... But, those who are capable and who can do it, will see and use these inventions as a new kind of tool. , like a pencil. It is important to (and) use it in the right way. I believe in the future, not only in the present. It's about using the opportunities you have in the right way. That's why I believe in the future of young artists. Simply, you have to believe in youth and in who comes, who steps on the scene...
Sometimes they talk about the future of the theater and the crises of the theater... What do you think about it?
The bigger crisis was in the 70s and 80s when I started. The term "crisis" is used every few years. Let's think a little differently... I'm a dwarf born in the land of giants... And when you realize that yourself, you start thinking in a different way. I'm not gambling today, I'm gambling the future. I don't talk to the living, I talk to the dead.
How do the various situations happening around the world affect art and artists?
When you work and are busy, the result exceeds reality. My work always transcends reality. If you are a slave to daily current affairs and what is the news of the day with your job and calling, it is an uninteresting job. Don't forget war and climate change, the global environmental crisis. It's been going on for centuries... It's not the first time war has been fought...
He looks forward to coming and working with young people, in any country
About 20 years ago, you were in Montenegro for the first time, then at the Montenegrin National Theater, where you presented the book this year. What are the impressions now?
That's right, Ivana Jožić performed at the festival in the Montenegrin National Theater, and we came at the invitation of Branislav Mićunović. I am happy to come and work in any country, with young people... Imagine how great it is that I can reach one person in Montenegro from Belgium, and then also that I can work with young people, talk to them, and to make them think and feel the world, life, profession, in a different way, and that I can touch them deep in the soul. I'm happy about that.
While there is pleasure, there is also curiosity
There is also a chapter in your book entitled "Time, place, space and mind". In what way are these concepts important for art, but also for human beings in their lives, which may not be directly related to art?
It is always a search for truth, for knowledge, for something here and now. The exercise of life is to live here and now, to enjoy the moment of what you do and in what you do, to have passion for this and love for that. Because we are always busy, we are always ahead of someone at the next meeting, at the new thing we are going to do. When I work with my ensemble, I search for the truth, although most of the time without success, but one must always get up and go on and try to search for the truth. The only way to go and approach it is to constantly question on a daily basis and repeat the question why - why I am an artist, why I do something... When I was in Montenegro, one of the young actors asked me if I was satisfied with my profession, and I I said I wasn't. I explained why not with the example of that day when I had to leave the house at six o'clock in the morning to go to the airport (I hate airports, I think they are very inhuman and heartless)... But then when I arrived in Montenegro and when I talked with students, with young Montenegrin actors, I enjoyed it! And then I felt satisfaction! You need that satisfaction as an artist, those moments when you enjoy your work, because while there is satisfaction, there is also curiosity, the desire to explore.
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