the european biennial of contemporary art
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artists

Melati Suryodarmo

1969, Surakarta, ID Lives in Braunschweig, DE

Alé Lino, 2003 Live performance, 180’, lambda print on alu-dibond

BOLZANO/BOZEN

Melati_alelino07_60x90_opt

Among the Bugis of South Sulawesi, four genders are acknowledged: male, female, feminine male, masculine female – and bissu , a shaman identity beyond gender. The bissu are often homosexual and transsexual, and their freedom from conventional gender roles is part of a search for a transcendental state free from all human constraints.
The artist developed Alé Lino by researching the bissu , whose spiritual path out of gender provides its conceptual basis. In her performance, she stands on a plinth for three hours, with a pole pointing at her upper body. These bjects enable her to reach the desired state of transcendence.
Melati Suryodarmo is known for her long and highly physical performances using the body and its environment to create what she calls “a concentrated level of intensity.”


Location

BOLZANO/BOZEN

RAQS MEDIA COLLECTIVE: "THE REST OF NOW"

EX ALUMIX, VIA VOLTA 11, I-39100 BOLZANO/BOZEN, ITALY

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