Marco Goecke: «Bravo Charlie»

Last night was the first occasion upon which I was thankful I am a compulsive smoker. Standing outside the Rotterdamse Schouwburg, during the intermission of Scapino Ballet’s new program “Waveland,” I caught sight of Marco Goecke. He appeared both radiant and fragile, cloth-ed in a black coat and scarf and a pair of jeans alluringly embossed with gilded flowers. His new creation, “Bravo Charlie” had yet to be performed.

I seized the opportunity to introduce myself. After some brief bon mots, he confessed that his new work was by far his most intimate.

Referring to a recent interview I asked why he thought that if he were to create what he truly desired he would anger his audience. Calmly meet-ing my eyes, he stated that he believed the personal nature and scale of such work would estrange them. Surely there is nothing more beautiful than a work of art that exposes the soul of its maker? I said. The intermission bell rang, halting our conversation and forcing us to part ways. I felt as if I had just caught a glimpse of a rare bird of paradise.

“Bravo Charlie” proved to be a wondrous creation, also in black. Black is not always what it appears to be: devoid of colour, it becomes one ...