In 1980 the artist Emilio Morandi created Performedia, which has since traveled around the world with the aim not only of bringing the public closer to performing art, but above all to bring people closer to innovative and high quality projects, thus making them participants in the art and the creative act. A new episode of this project opened on a single date on Wednesday 20 September 2023 at the Thetis Space in Venice.
Emilio e Franca Morandi, Performedia 2023 at Spazio Thetis
Performance art is a contemporary art form in which the artist involves his/her body as a means of expression or as if it were a blank canvas to paint. This art form is characterized by its temporality, as it usually takes place in a certain time and place and may not be reproducible or repeatable in the same form. There are key characteristics of performance art such as: temporality: performances are often an ephemeral experience and take place at a specific time, usually in front of an audience. The duration can vary from a few minutes to several hours.
Analia Beltran I Janes, Performedia 2023 at Spazio Thetis
Bodily involvement: performance artists often use their body as their primary tool of expression. This can include physical actions, movements, gestures, dance, and so on. Interaction with the audience: many performances involve the audience in various ways, which can be both physical and emotional. This interaction can be an integral part of the work itself. Concept and meaning: performances often seek to explore complex concepts or express messages through action and movement. They can deal with political, social, cultural or personal topics. Variation of media: performance art can be multidisciplinary, incorporating elements of theatre, dance, music, video, poetry and more. Documentation: due to its ephemeral nature, many performances are documented through video, photography or written text, so that they can be preserved and shared with a wider audience. Finally, history: performance art has roots in the artistic avant-gardes of the 20th century, but gained popularity in the 1960s and 1970s with the affirmation of conceptual art and artistic experimentation.
Marite Bortoletto, Performedia 2023 at Spazio Thetis
This preamble was necessary to get to the present day where some famous artists associated with performance art include Marina Abramović, Yoko Ono, Vito Acconci, Chris Burden and Joseph Beuys, among others. Among many others I would also like to point out Emilio Morandi, a great multifaceted artist known internationally for his artistic experiments which express themselves between painting, video art installation and performance and with much still to say. I was at the Spazio Tethis, in Venice, visiting Perfomedia 2023-Acrobat. The now historic exhibition, born in 1980 from an idea by Emilio Morandi, has over the years been hosted in prestigious public and private spaces and in museums both in Italy and abroad, such as the Kantor Museum in Poland, HalleK18 in Kassel in 1986, Galerie 59 in Paris. This is a project that develops in a single day; therefore ephemeral as per the history of the performance but with a lot of energy, passion and communication skills that often struggle to exist on large contemporary stages. And I wanted to talk about it precisely because Emilio and his artist friends are one of the few, perhaps very few, examples of artistic culture open to all and of extremely high quality.
Attilio Fortini, Performedia 2023 at Spazio Thetis
I would like to close this short note by talking about the space that hosted this performative event: Tethis space. Spazio Thetis represents the cultural and artistic part of Thetis spa, an engineering company that develops projects and technological applications for the environment and the territory and which boasts an important permanent collection of contemporary art, which includes installations such as “Terzo Paradiso” by Michelangelo Pistoletto, “The Man Who Measures Clouds” by Jean Fabre, “The Sentinels” by Beverly Pepper, just to name a few. The artistic activity of Spazio Thetis focuses on certain themes: land art, environmental art, art and science, promoting and supporting contemporary art through various initiatives at its headquarters in the ancient Venetian Arsenal with the lush park/garden. In many years of activity it has collaborated with important institutions such as museums, galleries and foundations for the creation of temporary exhibitions, Biennale collateral events and national pavilions, but also as a promoter and organizer itself.
Paolo G. Conti e Ezio Bianchi, Performedia 2023 at Spazio Thetis
Finally we point out the names of the participating artists: Emilio and Franca Morandi (Bergamo), Adolfina De Stefani and Antonello Mantovani (Venice), Alice Gavezzotti (Lodi), Afrodixit (Bergamo), Ana Milovanovic (Belgrade), Analia Beltran I Janes (Madrid) , Attilio Fortini (Bergamo), Bruno Capatti (Bologna), Daniel Daligand (Paris), MELARANCE – M. Bortoletto, S. Martini, M. Spinazze (Milan – Arezzo), Guido Nicoli (Bergamo), Helina Hukkataival (Tampere), Inari Virmakoski (Tampere), Isabel Oprandi (Bergamo), Marilena Vita (Syracuse), Marta Lodola and Valerio Ambiveri (Bergamo), Paolo G. Conti and Ezio Bianchi (Mantua), Tiziana Morstabilini and Rosemary Seganfreddo (Bergamo).
Francesco Liggieri
Info:
AA.VV., Perfomedia 2023 – Acrobat
Spazio Thetis
Arsenale Novissimo, Venezia
http://www.thetis.it/
Independent artist and curator. Founder of No Title Gallery in 2011. I observe, study, ask questions, take informations and live in contemporary art, a real stimulus for my research.
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