(film still)

Tableau I
video, 2017
single-channel HD video, 12 min.

Tableau I

Tableau I is a video performance featuring six performers, set within a woodland clearing. The action is initiated by a sole female performer who enters the frame carrying wooden elements. Dressed in work overalls and wielding construction tools, she is the sole driver of the labor.

Joining her are five male performers who take no part in the construction. Naked and silent, they progressively enter the visual field, occupying various positions without ever obstructing or acknowledging the woman’s actions. They remain entirely passive throughout the duration of the performance.

In this work, I explore the nuances of gender identity, challenging the stereotypical associations of “feminine” and “masculine” in search of a new balance within the composition. By inverting traditional tropes, I juxtapose the active, “faber” role of the female with the passive—purely aesthetic and abstract—role of the male.

Directing: Ola Czuba
Performer: Milica Cirovic, Giuseppe Claudio Insalaco, Andrea Morani, Andrea Pennini, Giovanni Quadraroli, Matteo Quitadamo
Project Supervisor: Antoni Muntadas