Beneath the coarseness of the facade, there is a deep, literal dignity in the expression “feasting your eyes”: it is dissatisfaction with one’s own distorted biological organization-summer desolation between pectorals and thighs, of not knowing how to give any purpose to life other than to leisure when they pass by. […] The too much is closer to the nothing than the something; with the cyclopean nudes, the gestures allowed by anatomy and physiology turn out to be desolately poor compared to the absoluteness of desire: the only act of love at the height of such a body is not knowing what to do with it.
Based on a research investigation into body obsessions, “With All My Strength” explores the practice of posing prevalent among bodybuilders through a performance, a short film and a publication.
The performance weaves together different artistic languages: from choreographic posing to poetic prose and song, while also including a more documentary and cataloging aspect reserved for the production of the short film and catalog.
The project explores the practices and bodily materialities of bodybuilders, moving beyond narratives that reduce the muscular body to a single expression of patriarchal violence against out-of-norm bodies; the practice of vocal poetry will make room for speech, emissions, reflections, and silenced breaths. The material will be taken from interviews conducted before the residency with the collaboration of six bodybuilders.
What lies behind a hypertrophic and monumental body? What are the frailties behind their architecture? What the obsessions? What are the questions that move these bodies? What stereotypes can fall?
MARTINA ROTA
(Bergamo, 1995) is an artist active in the field of visual and performing arts. She is currently Co founder and curator of EXPANDING MOVEMENT movement and art workshops open to communities and of MASSIMO independent contemporary art space, born in 2019 together with Giulia Parolin and Stefano Galeotti. Her artistic research investigates through a strong interdisciplinarity the urgencies, desires and traumas of the body in a collective and personal dimension. Martina considers her work as an opportunity to create kinship with space, ask questions and reflect on common feeling. Her training began at the Brera Academy of Fine Arts where she graduated in the visual arts department. At the same time she continues her study of Dance between Italy and Europe. In 2016 he participates in the Venice Biennale as a perfomer for the work of Boris Charmatz this together with the experience with Daniele Ninarello and Cristina Caprioli influ ences strongly his choreographic background. In 2017 he studies at the SNDO school for new dance development in Amsterdam. In 2018 he joins DA.RE contemporary dancer’s perferzionamento course directed by Adriana Borriello in Rome. From 2019 to 2021 she is part of the research project Incubator for future choreographers C.I.M.D directed by Franca Ferrari with the mentorship of Daniele Ninarello, Davide Valrosso and Marco D’Agostin. She currently vora as a freelancer choreographer, movement director and in segnante dance well between Bergamo and Milan.
TEAM:
Martina Rota: Artist
Filippo Pizzocrì: Acting Coach-Casting director
Alessia Prati: Editor
Carolina Papetti: Set Designer- Assistant movement director Beatrice Perego: Director
Umberto Guidi: Assistant dramaturg
in partner con MicroMosso: Giulia Zompa, Maddalena Schiavini, Maddalena Gitti, Elisa Zucchelli.
ENdangered ENsemble is a residency space dedicated to Mediterranean and queer art ensembles that we curated in collaboration with Silvia Calderoni and Ilenia Caleo: artists, activists, performers and researchers.