Prešli sta dve premieri,

vsaka po svoje je zagrabila za vrat ikonoklazem. Koliko spretno, o tem priča samokritičnost in ta nima mesta v tem zapisu, ne zdaj. Marc Chagall je vse življenje obveljal za židovskega umetnika, čeprav je bil vedno obrit, nikdar ni nosil hasidskih zalizcev in je bil kot mladenič neštetokrat osramočen ravno zaradi tega, ker je bil žid. Vse življenje je obveljal za avantgardista, čeprav se je samemu sebi zdel realist in nikakor niti nadrealist, kar so mu edino lahko za silo podtaknili. In seveda, naša predstava ni naslikala niti ene Marcove slike, ampak je v zemeljskih obrisih, kot njegova avtobiografija, napisana leta 1922, ko je imel 35 let, in je ni več spreminjal do konca svojega 97 let dolgega življenja, predstavila skico njegove mladosti, njegove družine, Pariza, Peterburga, Vitebska in Ljosna, njegove prve žene in nihanja med revolucijo in popolno samobitnostjo. Veliko kompromisov je bilo sprejetih v tej predstavi! Ne bi jih bili smeli sprejeti, vsaj ne tako zlahka. A rodila se je vendarle, kljub krčem, ki ji niso dali dihati. Tako nekako kot Chagall sam piše o svojem rojstvu, da se je v bistvu rodil mrtev.

Druga premiera, pred in za Chagallom, je bila temačna, vznemirljiva in vznemirjujoča, opomnik za Evropo in opomnik nam samim, ki stojimo na odru, kako daleč sploh lahko gre naša sočutnostna in krivdna pornografija, kot bi se izrazil nek nemški gledališki kritik. Kako prepričljivo lahko moraliziramo o trenutni največji krizi Evrope po 2. svetovni vojni in koliko pravzaprav sploh vemo o ljudeh, na katerih stran se postavljamo. In nenazadnje, zakaj smo se, v navalu senzacionalizma in tableaus vivantes postavili na raven biblie pauperum v rahlo "body art" izdaji, namesto da bi študirali predstavo še en mesec in zarezali onkraj skorje? Vsemu navkljub je dialog stekel. Kdo bi si mislil. Jaz si nisem! In sem hvaležen, da me predvidljivosti puščajo na cedilu, vedno znova, v teh dveh kratkih primerih.

V tej slednje omenjeni premieri smo začeli s Pergamonskim oltarjem, ki se v Berlinu ravnokar prenavlja, tako da ga v času našega obiska nismo mogli videti. In ključen podatek, ki me lovi že dva tedna, zdaj, ko je vse mimo, se po mojem skriva v tej novici. Kot je nekoč rekla Svetlana Spajić iz Beograda, o kateri zdaj ne bom izgubljal besed, ker bi bil vse prehitro prepovršen - tradicija je tisto, kar se zmore vedno znova rojevati, ne nekaj, kar se obnavlja ali ćesar se natančno spominja. Naj bo vest sama, medij gor ali dol, dovoljšen opomnik.

Teen hits back at ISIS by sculpting Nimrud's ruined artifacts

By Basma Atassi, CNN

Updated 0757 GMT (1557 HKT) November 21, 2016

Source: CNN

(CNN)When footage emerged of ISIS destroying the ancient city of Nimrud outside Mosul, the world stood powerless in the face of a group of militants using sledgehammers and electric drills to obliterate centuries-old archaeological gems.

But 17-year-old Nenous Thabit rolled up his sleeves and began work on replicating the sculptures.

For Thabit, an Assyrian Christian, the 3,000-year-old city -- which once formed the capital of an Assyrian empire reaching from Egypt to parts of modern-day Iran and Turkey -- was a source of pride. He considers the artifacts of Nimrud to be the work of his ancestors.

"They waged a war on art and culture, so I decided to fight them with art," he told CNN.

He did so by sculpting immaculate statues that resembled some of the most precious Assyrian artifacts in Nimrud and other ancient areas in and around Mosul.

In 2015, a year after ISIS began its assault on Mosul and nearby towns, the militants bulldozed Nimrud as part of their campaign to destroy symbols they considered to be idolatrous. UNESCO described the act as a war crime.

Thabit has been sculpting immaculate statues that resemble some of the Assyrian artifacts destroyed by ISIS

Thabit has been sculpting immaculate statues that resemble some of the Assyrian artifacts destroyed by ISIS

In a modest apartment in the Kurdish city of Irbil, where Thabit and his family took refuge after fleeing Mosul, the young artist meticulously carved with his sculpting cutter the beard of Lamassu, an Assyrian deity.

"Lamassu is my favorite statue," said Thabit. "It is the strongest creature in the Assyrian heritage. It has the head of a human, the body of a lion, the legs of an ox and the wings of a vulture."

He said it took him about 15 days to complete the piece.

In Iraq, there are people who are killed because they are sculptors; because they are artists. ISIS view them as apostate

Nenous Thabit

According to a website that tracks the damage to artifacts, three Lamassu statues were destroyed by ISIS in Iraq.

The website is run by Christopher Jones, a student in ancient near eastern history at Columbia University in New York. He said that one of the Lamassu statues was destroyed in Nimrud, another was in the Nergal Gate of Nineveh, while the third was in the Mosul Museum.

After the Iraqi army retook Nimrud and nearby areas this week, more details are expected to emerge on the scale of the damage done by ISIS to the relics.

Thabit holds a picture of Ashur, a primary Assyrian deity and the god of war

Over the past year, Thabit has sculpted 18 Assyrian statues and one mural. He was trained by his father, Thabit Michael, a sculptor himself, who took Thabit with him to his workshop and allowed him to play with clay from the age of seven. Michael said teaching his son did not require a lot of effort. "Nenous is an incredibly fast learner," he told CNN. "I see huge potentials in him".

Thabit recreated the pillars where the Code of Hammurabi, one of the earliest surviving codes of law in recorded history, was written

Thabit recreated the pillars where the Code of Hammurabi, one of the earliest surviving codes of law in recorded history, was written

Since then, and up until last year, sculpting was just a hobby Thabit pursued when he was not in school. But after ISIS attacked his heritage, he started taking the craft very seriously.

"In Iraq, there are people who are killed because they are sculptors; because they are artists. ISIS view them as apostate," he told CNN over the phone.

"So continuing to sculpt is a message that we will not be intimidated by those devils."

He is hoping to attend art school in the Kurdish city of Dohuk next year.

"My dream is to become a prominent artist in Iraq to make my country proud and show the world that we in Iraq love life and cherish our heritage," he said.