Performativity as Curatorial and Artistic Praxis

“PERFORM” is a compelling, international, interdisciplinary, and intersectoral project that will create an unprecedented dialogue between the concept of “performativity” and contemporary European curatorial and performance practices through the inauguration of a ground-breaking theory of performativity as curatorial and artistic praxis.

Supervised by renowned critical theorist Prof.

Sonia Arribas, and hosted by the Institute of Culture in the Departament d’Humanitats at Pompeu Fabra University, the project is modeled according to a reciprocal transfer of knowledge that will increase the excellence of all participants, while making a strong impact on European audiences through the communication and dissemination of state-of-the-art knowledge that will foster exchange between the humanities and the arts.

It consists of a tailor-made program of training in live arts curation and contemporary European performance art, short research stays to study the curatorial initiatives of the Biennale de Venezia, Performatik Brussels, and the Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona, and the artistic practices of Anne Imhof (DE), Alex Baczynski-Jenkins (PL), and Santiago Sierra (ES), presenting two papers at international symposia, publishing two peer reviewed articles, teaching, organizing a symposium and a journal launch, etc.

The project will culminate in the publication of a monograph with the Performance Philosophy Book Series (Rowman and Littlefield) that will be mentored by secondment supervisor, Dr. Laura Cull Ó Maoilearca at the Academy of Theatre and Dance at the Amsterdam University of the Arts.

Framed methodologically within the field of performance philosophy, “PERFORM” will illuminate the shared mechanisms between linguistic and gender performativity and performance art, account for the recent explosion of performance in major art institutions, and demonstrate how performance and performativity are emblematic of the politics and preoccupations of 21st century Europe.