ANDY HEDGECOCK is entertained by a playful novel that embeds a fictional game at its heart
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A Hunger Artist, Seven Arts Leeds
Opaque exploration of art and the human condition
UNSPOKEN ANGER: Henry Petch (left) in A Hunger Artist
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GABRIELE NEHER draws attention to an astoundingly skilled Flemish painter who defied the notion that women cannot paint like men
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FRANZ KAFKA’S deceptively straightforward style of writing forces readers to search for deeper meaning. It’s an approach that CVIVarts has sought to emulate in this debut production, an adaptation of his 1922 short story A Hunger Artist, which follows the eponymous protagonist (Henry Petch) from his first to his 40th day of starvation at a circus.
He’s only rarely given his own voice, with his warder (Richard Koslowsky) and the narrator (director Carrieanne Vivianette) interpreting the motivations behind his act.
His unspoken frustrations and anger are instead conveyed through physical movement, choreographed by Phil Sanger, with repeated poses losing their vigour as his act progresses and public interest wanes.
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