INK

The patter of continually flowing water, the flash of silver-metallic tarps limiting the space, two people wrestling each other… At times, this nightmarish place resembles a stranded ship, at others it calls to mind an abandoned spaceship in its orbit. “INK” is a story of desire. A tender and borderline sadistic relationship between two people. They fight each other and their confrontational game continually reverses until a new, different violence emerges from the pair. At the same time, the piece tells the history of our species: the evolution of living creatures from their amphibian form to their human phase and finally to divinity. Furthermore, “INK” challenges our reality. Are these two protagonists projections of ourselves? Or do we see alien beings moving through unknown dimensions? The work features numerous fictional references to paintings, aliens, science fiction and dark fantasy and clearly show Dimitris Papaioannou’s love for these art forms.

In 2004, the multiple award-winning choreographer and performer Dimitris Papaioannou conceived the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the Olympic Games in Athens; in 2015 he created the Opening Ceremony of the first European Games in Baku. Papaioannou’s 25 productions range from mass spectacles with thousands of performers to intimate pieces. They have appeared in a wide variety of venues, from his famous underground squat theatre in Athens to the ancient theatre in Epidaurus and from Olympic stadiums to Théâtre de la Ville in Paris, Teatro Olimpico in Vicenza, BAM in New York, and all around the globe. In 2018, Papaioannou created the piece “SINCE SHE”, becoming the first artist to create a new, full-length work for Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch. His second international co-production, “TRANSVERSE ORIENTATION”, premiered in June 2021 and was showcased in over 30 cities worldwide. His latest work “INK” marks Papaioannou’s return to the stage as a performer.