Francesca Grilli’s performances and installations are studies of technology, human interaction, and the experience of the passage of time. Grilli was originally trained in photography and graphic design, and early on made videos and photographs. The shift in her practice came naturally for the artist: “the transition from photography to performance is easy,” she has said. “I re-create moving images, still frames.” Many of Grilli’s performances either invite participation from the audience or are enacted by dancers or musicians. Recurring motifs in these include sign language, flames, and endurance; her references frequently allude to art historical movements — Romanticism, the Pre-Raphaelites, Dada — and to the history of cinema.

Author: Francesca Grilli
Set Design: Paola Villani
With: Hassanein Ali Al Zubaidi, Ahmed Tanbouz, Zhilwan Shamal Omer, Abdu Baker
Production assistant: Livia Andrea Piazza
Voice Training: Alessandra Bordiga
Performers Training: Benno Steinegger
Stage technician: Tiziano Ruggia
Photos: Mariangela Loffredo, Francesca Grilli
Coproduction: Teatro Stabile dell’Umbria/Terni Festival, Contemporanea Festival/Teatro Metastasio,
With the support of: MAXXI Museo Nazionale delle arti del XXI secolo, Kunstencentrum Vooruit, Studio Grilli, Galleria Umberto di Marino (Naples)