Intermissions: Alexandra Pirici
Wednesday, Dec 13 – 17, 2023University of Chicago
5811 S. Ellis Ave.
Cobb Hall, 4th fl.
Chicago, IL, 60637
Since 2017, the Intermissions series has been devoted to presenting ephemeral and performative works, staged in the Ren's empty gallery in between exhibitions. This recurring platform features two artists every year, supporting live projects of many different forms and durations.
Alexandra Pirici’s performative actions unfold over longer durations of time, rather than being conceived as one-time events. Without a clear beginning or end, her works invite you to come back repeatedly as they steadily change. At the Ren, over the span of five days, the Romanian artist presents Encyclopedia of Relations, in which six performers continuously reconfigure themselves into various forms and structures while using movement, sound, and language. First staged at the 59th Venice Biennale in 2022, within the main exhibition, this work reshapes itself at the Ren as the performers add to their ongoing catalogue of relations—encompassing not just human interactions but also relations with and among other entities, including animals, plants, rocks, and digital technologies.
Image: Alexandra Pirici, Encyclopedia of Relations at the 59th Venice Biennale, “The Milk of Dreams”, 2022. Photo: Eduard Constantin.