William Kentridge's chamber opera, "The Great Yes, The Great No," reinterprets the real-life 1941 voyage of the SS Capitaine Paul-Lemerle, which carried refugees fleeing Nazis. The opera features a chorus lamenting, "The world is leaking," highlighting the chaotic, permeable nature of time and ideas amid historical turbulence. The performance includes an array of historical figures from various disciplines, turning their shared experience into a complex, surreal narrative reflecting on human folly and the persistent search for meaning amidst conflict. Kentridge's work invites audiences to engage critically with fractured histories and artistic interpretations.
The world is leaking.
Real-life passengers on the Paul-Lemerle voyage included French surrealist writer André Breton; French anthropologist Claude Lévi-Strauss; Cuban painter Wifredo Lam; Russian artist Marc Chagall.
Collection
[
|
...
]