NippleJesus

Play by Nick Hornby at the Theater am Olgaeck. A humorous solo play about a supposedly simple man who thinks surprisingly profound things about the sense and nonsense of the modern art world.

The employment agency has given nightclub bouncer Dave a new job as a museum guard. But he has nothing to do with art! However, Dave only realizes that his bouncer qualities are definitely in demand here when he is assigned a very special work of art to guard: "NippleJesus".

The painting, which is expected to cause a riot even before the exhibition opens, is a portrait of Christ on the cross. However, Dave also finds it offensive and scandalous that this portrait is composed of a myriad of tiny pictures of female nipples cut out of porn magazines. A scandal for religious and art-critical guardians of virtue who threaten vandalism.

But after he meets the artist at the vernissage, his reluctance gradually fades. He even begins to defend the work against its outraged viewers. He begins to protect the artwork from its outraged attackers and even defends it to his wife. In the end, he too involuntarily becomes part of the artwork, which has an impact far beyond its place on the wall.

Contrary to expectations, however, the artist is not devastated. In reality, she was not concerned with the picture itself, but with the audience's reactions to it, which were recorded by a surveillance camera and now become an exhibition object themselves as a film. Dave was also just part of an installation and no longer understands the (art) world.

Director: Nelly Eichhorn, Actor: Angelo Serdar Basar
Duration: 70 min

A portion of the proceeds from the theater performance will go to the Treehouse Trust, London, a foundation for the support of autistic children, co-founded by Nick Hornby. www.treehouseschool.org.uk