Costas Kekis
L04D
Costas Kekis’ L04D is an intergenerational journey on the emotional and socio-political effects of recent epidemics. Three performers navigate through feelings, thoughts and stories informed by the history of the AIDS crisis in the Euroamerican context, as well as the more recent governmentality of HIV. The AIDS crisis in the 1980ies and 1990ies broke into pieces the identity of the queer self while at the same time establishing a radical queer political thought. L04D carefully revisits this haunting time and lets it enrich current concerns.
The COVID-19 pandemic raised specters of the AIDS crisis among queer communities globally. Once again, in an extended medical emergency, new ways to produce stigma, create ‘others’ and manage people’s lives and deaths resulted in another type of necro- and biopolitics.
The performance L04D invites a bent intergenerational and shared historiography of HIV/AIDS. Kevin Clash has lived and experienced the first adverse years of the AIDS crisis in London as well as how the rave and the dancefloor became a space of emotional salvation for HIV-positive queers. The two dancers, Costas Kekis and Evandro Pedroni, through their own lived intimacies, have different experiences from the current time of HIV as manageable illness but still entailing renewed stigma, shame and discourses on sexual relations and social exclusion.
The three of them come together on stage to create a physical and musical discourse of feelings and social concerns by sharing their voices and sounds, their uninhibited bodies and their experiences of intimacy in order to discover a radical ethics of care, which can only result into empowered bodies and communities. In this quest they are supported by the light design and haunting projections of light art artist Resa Lut.
Costas Kekis began dancing as a kid in his family's living room in Athens before launching his professional journey as performer and choreographer.His works have been shown at the Improspekcije2022 Zagreb, Ostertanztage Salzburg, Altera Pars Theater in Athens, 100 Grad Festival Berlin and in Vienna at brut Wien, Raw Matters, Tanzquartier, WUK and ImPulsTanz. He also worked as a dramaturge and choreographic consultant with numerous artists locally and internationally and has performed for Doris Uhlich, Sara Lanner, Oleg Soulimenko and Fanni Futterknecht. In 2021 and 2022 he coordinated artistically the Life Long Burning Programme’s Performance Situation Room in the frame of ImPulsTanz.
Evandro Pedroni is a Brazilian performer and choreographer based in Vienna. Recently he is featured in productions by Cocoon Dance, Akemi Takeya, Elisabeth Tambwe among others. Evandro’s work or collaborations have been showcased in festivals such as ImPulsTanz, imagetanz, PAD – Performance Art Depot (DE), FAKI 18 (HR) and has been supported by Tanzzentrale Nuremberg, Wien Kultur, WUK, brut Wien, Im_flieger, Bears in the Park Art Place, HochX Theater und Live Art (DE) and EinTanzHaus (DE).
Kevin Clash started performing professionally as a vocalist from the age of 14 on UK Sound Systems progressing to stage +/or studio vocals for both underground and mainstream chart artists including Felix, Annie Lennox, George Michael and Boy George. Attending Morley College to study music and voice he also became a professional ‘sing-jay’ DJ performing at MTV’s ‘MTV Flux’, Ministry of Sound, Glastonbury, Brixton Academy, Vinyl NYC, Kampnagel alongside Chemical Brothers, Danny Tenaglia, Armand Van Helden, DJ Hell, Robert Owens and supporting artists/bands such as My Bloody Valentine, Silverfish, Selfish Cunt, Little Night Terrors, Friendly Fires.
Credits
Choreography Costas Kekis Created and performed by Costas Kekis, Evandro Pedroni, Kevin Clash Sound Kevin Clash Light and Projections Resa Lut Production Taystee Tears Stage design Frederik Marroquin Costumes Evandro Pedroni Production assistance Deborah Hazler Feedback Chris Standfest Vocal Coaching Veza Fernández Special thanks to Helmut Mörwald, Lau Lukkarila, mirabella paidamwoyo dziruni
A co-production of Taystee Tears and brut Wien.
With the kind support of the Cultural Department of the City of Vienna, BMKOES – Federal Ministry of Arts.
Supported by 8:tension artists residency, Im_flieger SUPPORTS, Studio Matsune and Bears in the Park Art Place.
Dates & Tickets
The performance on Sat, 25 November will be followed by an artist talk with the team of LO4D & Helmut Mörwald (QWien), moderated by Karla Max Aschenbrenner.
November 2023
Choose your price 22 € / 16 € / 11 €
Choose your price 22 € / 16 € / 11 € / *Followed by an artist talk
Choose your price 22 € / 16 € / 11 €
brut nordwest
Nordwestbahnstraße 8-10, 1200 Vienna
Downloads
Evening Programme_L04D (PDF)
