CHÂTEAU D'IF

4 Nov-8 Nov 2009

Overview

Young artists create work in response to Alexandre Dumas’ novel The Count of Monte Cristo, a sensational story of intrigue, betrayal, revenge, desire and the eternal conflict between good and evil. The Château was built in 1524–31 on the orders of King François I as a defense against attacks from the sea. The island became internationally famous in the 19th century when Alexandre Dumas used it as a setting for The Count of Monte Cristo, published to widespread acclaim in 1844. The sensational story, the book's all-encompassing themes of intrigue, betrayal, escape and revenge, its rich diversity and a powerful conflict between good and evil inspired young artists to create work across all Fine Art disciplines. Down in the dark cavernous spaces of the Shoreditch Town Hall basement CHÂTEAU D'IF blurs the boundaries between the story of Edmond Dantès and artists' personal experiences, between the past and the present, between fiction and reality.