FUTURE N.O.W. 2023

Sex work. Gender fluidity. Collective identities. Three performances from the future discuss our shared present. Are there taboos for the new generation of artists? In a world constantly changing, the artists find their true voice and propose new worlds through new original works that transpired following an annual open call. New creators, new works, and new ideas find their way to Onassis Stegi and the “New World,” as the name of the Athenian neighborhood Neos Kosmos implies.

“Call Me Sugar” by Christina Kipreou and Michalis Pitidis is an episodic theatrical performance that addresses with humor issues such as the commodification of fetishism, taboos, stereotypes, loneliness, and sexuality, through the field of online sex work. As a character of the play notes: "Imagination is much more real, authentic, and pleasing than any erotic encounter."

“Earthquake” by Vasilis Vilaras disturbs the tectonic plates of existing racism and homophobia, as it invites at the Upper Stage of Stegi non-binary people, trans femininities, fat bodies, immigrant women and sex workers, just for being who they are. Or, as heard during the performance: “Tonight we are going to talk about diversity, the favorite word mainly of those who do not fall into this category. Because I have never encountered a single person who is different and states so.”

Finally, Zoe Sigalou and Marina Siotou, with their work “Perseids or how to party hard,” introduce us to their very own version of a Chorus in the “here and now,” where they talk about romance, love, friendship, and what it’s like to grow up as femininity in the Millennial generation and Gen Z. Because, as they note in their work, “now, the time has come to redefine femininity, to praise and celebrate it as we want. Because it’s ours and only ours.”

We asked ChatGPT to come up with a text around key phrases and words such as “sex,” “onlyfans,” “cheesy breakup songs,” “Girls just wanna have fun,” “hormone therapy,” “femininities,” and “GrindR”, and the AI automatic writing chatbot collapsed. This certainly didn’t occur with the artists of this year’s “Future N.O.W.” festival. The words are all theirs and so are the stages of Onassis Stegi, where their three new original works are being unveiled. And us, we are here to guarantee that this festival will seek to make the poetry of the “here and now” and the voice of a generation averse to silence to be heard across and beyond these stages. Instead of more words, here are four lines from one of the festival’s three works, “Perseids or How to Party Hard,” by Zoe Sigalou and Marina Siotou:

“To make love so loud

That it will enshroud our voices

Freeze our thoughts

Make our hearts stop beating – just for a while.”

Afroditi Panagiotakou, Director of Culture at Onassis Foundation
Iliana Dimadi, Dramaturg
Konstantinos Tzathas, Curator