Autoritat

Roger Bernat & Søren Evinson

Centre de les Arts Lliures - Fundació Joan Brossa

July 16 and 17

TICKETS

A former actor and a performance artist stage an exhibition about the mistreatment and sadistic perfectionism inherent in the teacher-apprentice relationship.

On stage, we find Toni Cots, an actor from 1975 to 1984 with the Nordic company Odin Teatret, and Søren Evinson, a performance artist. Cots is oblivious to what the performance art piece holds for him but fully gives himself over to the instructions of his young apprentice. The interaction between them plays with trust and vulnerability, navigating the taboos of social and emotional behaviour that are driving current approaches to caregiving. Through the contact between teacher and apprentice, Cots not only makes his acting return, but also surrenders to the history of an art form rife with manipulation, exploitation, and psychological submission. Evinson, meanwhile, replaces his teacher to reach the level of amorality, passion, and arrogance that is inextricably linked to the pursuit of beauty in the last century of stagecraft.

Autoritat showcases the actor’s infinite willingness to expose himself and the teacher’s charismatic tendency to manipulate. Both are capable of sacrificing themselves to meet the dictates of expressiveness and truth demanded; they are victims of themselves and have learned to be so by being victims of all their teachers.

Founded in 1964, the Danish-Norwegian company Odin Teatret is famous worldwide. Its founder, Eugenio Barba of Italy, is considered one of the most innovative figures in modern theatre. Between last April and September, La Virreina Centre de la Imatge hosted the exhibition “Autopenetració. Eugenio Barba / Odin Teatret”, about Barba and the company’s activities from 1971 to 1979. It is curated by Roger Bernat. This July, it will be complemented by a second, oral exhibition entitled Autòpsia [Autopsy] and curated by playwright Roberto Fratini at the Joan Brossa Foundation’s prestigious Centre de les Arts Lliures for both visual and performing arts. Finally, in Autoritat, Roger Bernat and performer Søren Evinson trace the arc that separates three generations of theatre professionals.

This first collaboration between La Virreina Centre de la Imatge and the Barcelona Grec Festival was led by Roger Bernat, an artist who debuted at Grec in 1997 and has made seven appearances at the festival so far. Bernat is the creator of works such as Numax-Fagor-plus (Grec 2014), No se registran conversaciones de interés [No Conversations of Interest are Recorded] (Grec 2017), and Flam (Grec 2019). He is joined in this show by Søren Evinson, the author, director, and performer who brought the show A Nation is Born in Me to Grec 2019.

A production by FFF and 2025 Barcelona Grec Festival

In cooperation with Fundació Joan Brossa.