Live Arts choreographer and contemporary artist Jan Fabre made history in April by becoming the first living artist to have his own show displayed within the Louvre’s permanent collection. A renowned theater maker, author, choreographer, director, and vanguard of the contemporary scene, Fabre has been creating compelling and provocative multidisciplinary works since the late 1970s. His show, L’Ange de la métamorphose, (The Angel of the Metamorphosis) is the fourth installment of the museum’s Counterpoint series, which challenges contemporary artists to juxtapose their works with those of the permanent collection in an effort to connect the past with the present.

<%image(20080610-golden lamb jpeg.jpg|205|330|null)%>Paying homage to his predecessors, Fabre’s exhibit is set up in galleries that display the painted works of the Flemish, Dutch, and German masters. A gold-plated lamb wearing a party hat stands before van Eyck’s “Adoration of the Mystic Lamb.” A life-size wax figure of Fabre himself stands bleeding before the portraits of the deceased masters in a gesture of insignificance. This vast array of installations exhibits a brilliant recontextualization of the work of the greats from the past within a post-modern framework.

Fabre is also known for his ground-breaking performance art and will be bringing a new piece to the Live Arts Festival this season. Another Sleepy Dusty Delta Day features Croatian dancer Ivana Jozic in a solo performance inspired by Bobby Gentry’s “Ode to Billy Joe.” Fabre brings themes of love, suicide, and the erotic body, creating the “dusty day” with 1.5 tons of coal on stage. Always passionate, provocative, and highly experimental, this artist’s work will leave audiences feeling anything but sleepy.

Posted by Kira Loretto