Reading Group: Art of Joy

Join us in the cosy and informal sphere of Savannah Bay, for a morning of reading and discussing together. A book in one hand, a cup of tea and a cookie in the other.

The artists Nathan Ooms & Anna Franziska Jäger, who are presenting Modesta (play of language & lips) at SPRING, are hosting this reading group on the novel that inspired them: The Art of Joy, by Goliarda Sapienza. A novel that was rejected for 30 years until it was published.

They will share some fragments from the book, from which they are fascinated by the main character: Modesta. A young girl who grows up by learning how to turn pain into pleasure. A woman who twists the rules of language and social convention. They will reveal what led them to make a performance based on her, and how they decided to stage an intertwining of bodies, characters, and voices as an ode to the chaos of experience and the joyful loss of growing up.

All Reading Groups are free of charge, but please sign up so we keep track of how many people to expect. Spaces are limited. Do also check out our reading group on Arab Futurism!