Triumphs And Laments By William Kentridge, Rome, April 21, 2016

Triumphs and Laments, by William Kentridge, Rome, April 21, 2016

I was totally privileged to attend a project which my dear friend and client, Kristin Jones, has been working on tirelessly for over fifteen years. On April 21, the birthday of Rome, the artist William Kentridge unveiled a 550m-long frieze running along the Tiber River in Rome, depicting a procession of more than 80 figures from Roman mythology. This may be the South African artist’s largest public work to date, and represents the first steps in Kristin’s artistic vision to create an awareness of the Tiber in central Rome and to animate the heart of the city with cultural activity along the Tiber’s banks. Kristin’s non-profit, which approached Kentridge ten years ago, only recently, through unfaltering dedication, obtained a permit for twenty years from the region of Lazio and Rome to hold two month long cultural festivals from Ponte Sisto to Ponte Mazzini in the fall and spring of each year.

Snippets of the performances, recorded by me, can be found here as well as a New Yorker  article describing the project’s inception in 2005. The most recent article published in the Art Newspaper discusses the extensive work done by the Italian non-profit, Tevereterno (where Kristin Jones is the Founder, Artistic Director and President Emerita) and William Kentridge to obtain permits.

Grazie William Kentridge and Kristin Jones for this magical event.

For more information visit Tevereterno.