Extreme images in the contemporary scene

ABSTRACT This article examines the use of extreme images in contemporary performances through the analysis of two works: “Pixelated Revolution”, by Rabih Mroué and “Le Metope Del Paternone”, by Romeo Castellucci. Both plays draw from documentary/autobiographical experiences in order to reflect on violent images and their impact on the daily life of their subjects. The analysis in this paper stems from the hypothesis that, by investing in the theatre of the real and moving away from stereotyping and standardization, art creates new regimes of the visible that are capable of provoking displacements and creating new relationships between images and bodies in the contemporary world.