OPLÀ.
PERFORMING
ACTIVITIES

After its 2019 debut, a success with the public and with critics, Oplà. Performing Activities, a live arts programme curated by Silvia Fanti (Xing), returned to Arte Fiera. The Fair have hosted a new series of performance activities by some of the most important contemporary artists in their respective fields of research: Alessandro Bosetti, Luca Vitone, ZAPRUDER filmmakersgroup. Jimmie Durham, who received the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the 58^th Venice Biennial, was to have presented a re-enactment of his iconic performance, Smashing, performed only once before, but unfortunately, health problems have prevented him from coming to Bologna. As a homage to this great artist (and our best wishes for a speedy recovery), the space assigned to the performance remained installed, and a monitor showed images of the original performance.

The artists’ works have been shown in Halls 15 and 18 of the Fair as well as in the Talk area.

Oplà. Performing Activities is a live arts format conceived by Silvia Fanti specifically for Arte Fiera. She expresses its guidelines in the following programmatic declaration:

“Working today with the contemporary means creating occasions, contexts and moments that show not so much 'what art is' but 'what art does'.
The question is therefore how to respond to the proposal to make Performance part of an art fair without turning it into a merely decorative or, at worst, inappropriate accessory.
Oplà slips performance into a functional context, creating opportunities to be an active part of an artwork. The performances are not individual shows lasting a set time, but rather activities proper: a series of microsystems involving creation, work and service.” (Silvia Fanti)

Projects by:

• Jimmie Durham 
  

• ZAPRUDER filmmakersgroup
  

• Luca Vitone
  

• Alessandro Bosetti

Arte Fiera thanks Illumia for its support.

Production: Arte Fiera
Curated and organized by Xing