To play in a foreign language (The Stranger III), 2026, performance/action

To play in a foreign language (The Stranger III), is a performative action continuing Vlassopoulou’s recurring exploration of the notion of the “stranger” and the social conventions. Developed through a short series of workshops with minimal guidance from drama pedagogue Aggela Stavrou, the work invited a group of children to inhabit the exhibition space and coexist with visitors, claiming presence within an environment that rarely includes them.

The performance consisted of three interconnected actions developed collectively within the exhibition space. Inspired by Jiří Kovanda, the children secretly offered candies and handwritten wishes to visitors, creating small moments of intimacy and surprise. They also intervened in the exhibition’s navigation system by drawing directional arrows on the floor that led visitors to a blocked-off “room” marked with red-and-white tape. Hidden behind the barrier, they would suddenly break through it and run away, once shouting “silence.”

The main recurring action involved the group gathering at a specific spot, choosing a visitor, and running toward them to silently stare before retreating again. With painted faces and growing participation from other children, the action evolved into a “mirror game” in which the performers imitated visitors’ gestures and words, turning confrontation into playful interaction and collective improvisation.

Through their simple yet active presence, the children became the work itself, not by representing something, but by subtly claiming space and prompting reflections on coexistence, social regulation, and shared public behavior.

To Play in a Foreign Language (The Stranger III), VIMA Art Fair 2026, The Waves Crashing, curatorial project by Kostas Stasinopoulos. Photo by Demetris Loutsios and Daria Makurina. Courtesy of the artist and VIMA Art Fair.