Fish Play

On 5 and 6 December, artist and theatre maker Artun Alaska Arasli presents the Amarte-supported one-act play Fish Play, written for Sabine Pendry, at Die Verabredung in Cologne. The play tells the story of a woman who inherits an aquarium and, during an unexpected visit from her brother, begins to see more than just fish: she sees a group of actors re-enacting her life and the lives of those around her. Fish Play explores themes such as grief, animism, and the human urge to find evidence for our own truth.

Running parallel to the performance, the exhibition Fish Pictures opens on 5 December, featuring the photographs Sabine takes live on stage. These images form an integral part of the narrative and mark the beginning of Artun’s new research, in which visual art and theatre practice merge.

The programme is further enriched by a presentation on the work of John Jesurun, a pioneer in blending theatre and media art. His influential oeuvre, which has blurred the boundaries between film, performance, and technology since the 1980s, provides an important context for Artun’s multidisciplinary approach.