The Permanent Revolution(An Ideological Screwball Comedy)
By Pedro Reyes
May 18–June 15, 2014
Museo Jumex
Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra 303
Col. Ampliación Granada
México, D.F. 11529
T +52 (55) 5395 2618
The Permanent Revolution, an original play by Mexican artist Pedro Reyes, explores the tensions between socialism and capitalism, two economic ideologies that still have resonance in contemporary culture.
As a new departure from the artist’s Baby Marx series—an exploration of the contradictions that occur between these two currents of thought through marionettes of characters that include Vladimir Lenin, Ernesto “Che” Guevara, Karl Marx, Adam Smith and Milton Friedman—The Permanent Revolution gathers, for the first time in Mexico, these celebrated thinkers to discuss their revolutionary ideas and disproportionate ambitions.
This new hour-long script commissioned by Fundación Jumex Arte Contemporáneo, sets the play in present time and flirts with important and urgent subjects such as ideological radicalism, government transparency and the controlled use of information. Additionally, six new characters will be joining the original cast: Leon Trotsky, David Alfaro Siqueiros, Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, Steve Jobs and Julian Assange.
The plot, which includes political intrigue, romance, philosophy, conceptual art, debauchery, technology, espionage, explosions and guaranteed entertainment for the whole family, addresses philosophical questions and political matters that have a direct impact on our lives, making the story that much more explosive. Here, the real, the absurd, and the ironic are chock-a-block.
With more than forty performances during four weeks, The Permanent Revolution will be presented at Museo Jumex along with an exhibition of artworks related to this project.
See The Permanent Revolution teaser
Performances
Tuesday and Wednesday: noon
Thursday and Friday: noon and 8pm
Saturday and Sunday: noon and 5pm
Tickets are on sale at Museo Jumex’s reception desk and are subject to availability
Credits
Created by Pedro Reyes
Curator: José Esparza Chong Cuy
Scenic director: Daniel Rajunov
Script: Fernando Canek, Daniel Rajunov, Pedro Reyes
Cast: Johnny Calderón, Aura De Cárcer, Renne Cossio, César Enriquez, Julio Maldonado, Neri Paredes, Sandra Poo, Alessandra Viza, Antonio Zacruz
Stage Manager: Daniela Madrid
Lighting, special effects & props: Cocolab
Original score: Héctor Ruíz
Audio design: Federico Crespo, MCO Studios
Marionette production: Takumi Ota
Set: Roberto Bonelli, Carlos Cosío, Carlos Sánchez
Press: Despacho de Proyectos
Producers: Fundación Jumex Arte Contemporáneo (The Permanent Revolution), Moisés Cosio & Fundación Alumnos47 (Baby Marx)
Pedro Reyes seeks to generate social change through art. Some examples include (Baby Marx, 2008–) a production created to promote dialog and debate social and political ideas from the past and explore their manifestations in the present; Sanatorium (2011–), a transient clinic that combines art and psychology and has conducted over 20,000 therapy sessions in four different countries; Disarm (2013–), which consists of a series of musical instruments made with 6,700 destroyed weapons given to Reyes by the Mexican Army; and pUN The People’s United Nations (2014) recently presented at Queens Museum of Art in New York, a project that gathered representatives from over 160 countries to create an organization parallel to the United Nations. His work as been exhibited at the Guggenheim Museum in New York, Whitechapel Gallery in London, the Venice Biennale and documenta 13 in Kassel, among others.
Fundación Jumex Arte Contemporáneo was created to promote the production, reflection and scholarship of contemporary art, and to generate innovative ways to foster art and culture. This is done through Colección Jumex, the Foundation’s art collection; Museo Jumex, a new venue for the exhibition and activation of contemporary art; Galería Jumex Ecatepec, an experimental exhibition space; and Publicaciones Jumex, a platform for the publication and dissemination of contemporary art discourse. Additionally, Fundación Jumex promotes its mission through three complimentary areas: Fomento, a program dedicated to support the production of contemporary art and independent projects, education and research; Investigación, a department dedicated to the research and analysis of contemporary culture; and Educación, an area committed to enhancing the visitor’s ability to understand and appreciate contemporary art.
