› The pain, the bloodletting, the beatings, the exhaustion used in IV's performances are a personal crucible for the performers, not self-indulgent. An authentic dysphoria is perceived by the audience. We feel unease, perhaps self-recognition, but not something we might call empathy or pity. These figures belong to a world, a narrative, an internal logic of their own. We must simultaneously accept that they are human and their blood, sweat, and tears are real. It is a powerful experience, even if you have been witness (or recipient) to greater violence.
