Zuzanna Hwang-Cempla explores how Katarzyna Głowicka’s opera-installation transforms Afghan women’s poetry into a powerful act of resistance and solidarity.
In her newly published article, musicologist Zuzanna Hwang-Cempla examines “Unknown, I Live with You”—a groundbreaking work by composer Katarzyna Głowicka and director Krystian Lada that challenges everything we think we know about contemporary opera.
Key Takeaways
Opera as Political Action: Five years ago, critic Marcin Bogucki declared opera a “living corpse” that tries to “escape from the world rather than confront it.” Głowicka and Lada’s work proves him wrong, directly confronting the brutal reality faced by women in Afghanistan.
Authentic Voices: The libretto uses texts by Afghan women from the Afghan Women’s Writing Project, giving voice to those systematically silenced. These aren’t dramatic fictions—they’re real testimonies of forbidden love, lost dignity, stolen childhoods, and defiant hope.
Breaking Opera’s Rules: Premiered as a six-hour installation in Brussels where audiences could come and go freely, the work dissolves boundaries between opera, performance art, and installation—what the creators call an “opera-installation.”
From Athens to Kabul: Hwang-Cempla draws a devastating parallel between ancient Athenian democracy (which excluded two-thirds of the population) and 21st-century Afghanistan, where being born female means systematic denial of basic human rights.
Performance Theory Meets Practice: The article analyzes the work through Erika Fischer-Lichte’s concept of performative reality production, examining how physicality, spatiality, sound, and temporality create meaning beyond traditional operatic conventions.
As we navigate conversations about women’s rights, artistic responsibility, and the role of culture in social change, Hwang-Cempla’s analysis offers crucial insights into how contemporary music can serve as both witness and weapon in the fight for human dignity.