Zeno at 4am

Zeno at 4am is the title of an artwork by William Kentridge (1955-) and an accompanying shadow oratorio, also by Kentridge.

The artwork

Zeno at 4 a.m. consists of of a suite of prints of various objects, printed by Maurice Payne and published by David Krut Fine Art, Inc. in 2001.

The oratorio

Created by Kentridge and company as a shadow oratorio which combines a range of media to depict Zeno during in the state between waking and sleeping and the dilemmas which swirl through his mind – about his wife and his mistress, whether his pleasures (smoking being one) will cause his death, his precarious business dealings and the death of his father whom he did not love enough when he was young. Presented internationally, in collaboration with the Handspring Puppet Company, in 2001.

Translations and adaptations

The piece was precursor to the full-scale work Confessions of Zeno in 2002.

Performance history in South Africa

2001: Directed by William Kentridge with Dawid Minnaar, Otto Maidi, Pumeza Matshikiza (tall), Lwazi Ncube (short). Taken on an international tour, it was performed in Brussels, Paris, Angoulême, Toulouse, Amiens, Minneapolis, Chicago, and New York.