La Tristura

“Up until now, philosophers and artists have tried to interpret situations; what needs to be done now is to transform them. Because we are products of the situations we live by, what’s important precisely is to create human situations. And every time the individuals define themselves by their situation, they aspire to create situations worth oft their desire. It is under this perspective that poetry must take place.”

—INTERNACIONALE SITUATIONISTE

Itsaso Arana, Violeta Gil and Celso Giménez have been working around the scenic arts ever since they turned twenty. They try to generate “human situations” in and outside the stage.

Investigating the limits between presentation and representation, with a deep interest in contemporary theatre, and a commitment with the intuition that intimacy and poetry are, essentially, political concepts.

During these years La tristura collaborates with contexts like Teatros del Canal in Madrid, Grec Festival in Barcelona, Cena Contemporânea in Brasilia, the Théâtre de la Ville in Paris, Noorderzon Festival in Groningen, AUA in Bern, the Teatro Central in Seville, Kampnagel in Hamburg, La Batie in Genève, the Théâtre de Liège or El Canto de la Cabra in Madrid among others.

During these years they also generate contexts such as Escuela de Invierno, Festival Salvaje or the Gran Convocatoria Mundial. With a desire to keep connecting cultural agents and artists, trusting that from those connections, unexpected and inspiring movements will be born.

Their work is still tied with Madrid, the city where they live and develop their projects.

“Still so early in the world my love to talk about you and me.”
- Odysséas Elýtis
“Any situation between people, when they are really human with each other, produces intelligence.”
- Susan Sontag
“What is the reason that as soon as one human being shows he needs another the latter draws back from him? Gravity.”
- Simone Weil
“Joy is a recompense: the recompense that comes from a prolonged gravity, a brave, laborious, and hidden one that, certainly isn’t for just anybody.”
- Friedrich Nietzsche

Web Credits

Los tristes: Itsaso Arana, Violeta Gil y Celso Giménez
Photography: Mario Zamora
Rest of images: Juan Rayos, Álvaro Pérez, David Benito, Javier Calvo, Itsaso Arana, Violeta Gil y Celso Giménez.
Web design: Porelamordedios™ y Celso Giménez