The Alexandra Triantis Hall at Megaros Musikis slowly emptied after it ended. premiere of “INK” by Dimitris Papaioannou. It could not be otherwise, a real full house, 1582 spectators. And it was a very pleasant finale: the lights on the stage gradually dimmed as the man in black slapped and slapped the octopus on the floor, while applause began to rise from the square, welcoming those outside, and ending with a long standing ovation.

This game for two, that is, this performance, brought many participants to the fore for the final bow – even the resourceful architect Dimitris Korre. All of them, with exceptional skill, contributed to giving form and life to another of the dark worlds of Dimitris Papaioannou.

In INK, two men will face off in a war of human relationships. And if the younger one seems lost, a naked semi-wild creature that needs to be pacified, his youth and beauty ultimately win the love battle. Papaioannu, mature, experienced, self-confident, confidently exposes his subconscious to the public. His imagination, together with the visual elements that have made up his artistic language in recent years – references to creatures from Hieronymus Bosch’s Garden of Earthly Delights, archetypes, as well as references to contemporary artists such as Joseph Beuys – form his universe: liberated and original.

The world of Papaioannu is not easy to navigate. You need time to recover.

In a gloomy scene with the atmosphere of an expressionist film, when the sound of splashing water constantly changes music, a southerner – swarthy, with a thin mustache, in a black shirt, pointed boots – is struggling to tame a chthonic creature – the dancer Suka Horn shines. his nakedness is white as marble. What relationship do they have to each other? Who is this young man? Is it a lover or is it our animal side, the irrational side that we refuse to acknowledge to ourselves and allow others to see?

The world of Papaioannu is not easy to navigate. You need time to get your bearings as his art is filled with ideas and inspiration. Most of the premiere audience – people of all ages – retained their enthusiasm even as they slowly left the Trianti Hall. But we also heard confusion. An octopus, liquid jets, a chrysalis, a silver disco ball – all these seem to be separate components of a special spectacle, balancing between performance and dance. Is “INK” an insider show for the expressive vocabulary of one of the most successful and in-demand artists internationally?

He said the project was created during lockdown, with the joy of a student escaping the commitment and strict schedules of a dynamic career. It was a deep “conversation” between two people in silent, frightened and empty Athens.