SISYPHUS PICKS UP HIS SHOVEL AT THE HOLLAND FESTIVAL IN JUNE 2024

Victor Pilon will reprise Sisyphus in Amsterdam, Netherlands, from June 16 to 28 during the prestigious Holland Festival.

Victor was interviewed by De Groene Amsterdammer about the upcoming performance

Winner of the 36th Grand prix of the Conseil des arts de Montréal

IN TOTAL : 182 HOURS OF PERFORMANCE | MOVED 300 TONS OF SAND | WALKED 600 KILOMETERS

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"There is a certain black humour to the piece – yes, he is just shovelling sand – although Pilon performs it with deep seriousness. The point is that the task is pointless: The meaning is in what we think about it. [...] It's mesmerizing." Kate Taylor, The Globe and Mail

"In his deep dive into life, art, and grief with Sisyphus, Victor Pilon is evoking some of the true essences of existence." Brandon Lorimer, Art-Critique.com

"I didn't expect I would be so deeply moved by his performance. It's a must-see!" Eugénie Lépine-Blondeau, Le 15-18

"I first thought I would only stay for 15-20 minutes [...], and after an hour and a half, as I was leaving, I kept thinking: "I'm missing out on the rest of the performance!"" Johanne Despins, Culture Club

Critics are unanimous! Read what they had to say about Sisyphus

50 tons | 30 days | 6 days a week | 7 hours a day

EAST HALL OF THE OLYMPIC STADIUM | SEPTEMBER 28 - OCTOBER 27 | FREE

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A performance by Victor Pilon

For 30 days, 6 days a week, 7 hours a day, Sisyphus will move 50 tons of sand by tirelessly building and deconstructing his mountain with a simple shovel. A physical, emotional, and mental performance in which authenticity, absurdity, and reality will intersect. The East Hall of the Montreal Olympic Stadium will be a meeting place where Tartarus, Sisyphus’ prison for eternity, will evoke a spellbinding and theatrical space in which Sisyphus’ toil will resonate.

“The tragic death of my partner Sylvain led me to this project. We all have to mourn the fact that life is absurd in order to be able to arrive at a form of freedom, even happiness. As in the popular expression work work work, day after day, Sisyphus pushes his boulder to the top of a mountain, from where it always ends up coming down. This project is an effort to understand the eternal restart, to grasp the absurdity of existence, a desire for clarity, a quest for the why that dwells in all of us,” - Victor Pilon.

Notes on Albert Camus

This performance-marathon is inspired by Albert Camus’ philosophical essay The Myth of Sisyphus. In this work, the punishment of Sisyphus is a metaphor for the human condition. For Camus, the awareness of absurdity can liberate man, free him from an illusory hope and make him understand the value of enjoying the present moment.