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Gary Stevens

Photo: Pau Ros.
1997 – 2006

A man weaves an elaborate and clearly bogus account of his presence on the stage. He is on stage as a way of hiding. The narrative thread is tenuous. He rewrites himself to accommodate scene changes.

He constantly sabotages his efforts to fit in. He is both exposed and invisible at the same time. Finally he forces himself to tell a joke that he is ill-prepared for and faces the wrath of an audience that, having accepted the absurd premise of the joke, expects to be relieved of it by a punch line.

Commissioned by Hollywood Leather in 1997 and has been performed in galleries and theatres. Selected venues include: Brooke Alexander Gallery, New York; Purcell Room, SBC; London (Visual Theatre Festival); The Spitz (City Festival); the ICA, the Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith; Fierce! Festival, REP, Birmingham; CCA, Glasgow.

“… the sheer charm, humour and thought-provoking nature of this piece by one of our most underrated artists far outweighs any need for genre pigeonholing. This is the kind of spoken word every visual artist should listen to.”

Artists Newsletter
Photo: Pau Ros.
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