Mors ex machina

The eclectic Grim Reaper performed as a guest in the stage form Stupid Game directed by Ondřej Macl. The Grim Reaper was and was not part of the play itself – she functioned rather as an independent performative deux ex machina. Another conceptual layer of the performance was working with the specific environment of the touristically overexposed center of Prague. The distinctive costume, which mixed several cultural traditions (Mexico, Japan, China, India), was first perceived by passers-by from afar as just another commercial attraction. Challenging the status quo was part of the artist’s intention.

Next Wave Festival, Piazzetta of the National Theatre, 25 September 2023, photo by Anna Černá.