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In occasion of the Marcel Duchamp and the Lure of the Copy exhibition, the Peggy Guggenheim Collection presents Harlequin Tears: Performing Masculinity from a Queer Perspective, a workshop designed and led by nitx.
When he becomes Rrose Sélavy, Marcel Duchamp criticizes the notion of gender as an integral part of an individual’s identity and as a system for imposing a hierarchical organization of society. Rrose’s careless playfulness heralds the aesthetic which in much more recent times has come to be known as drag; walking an ambiguous tightrope that embodies the non-binarism that was only theorized within queer philosophy beginning in the 1990s.
Harlequin Tears encourages collective and bodily research by posing several questions. How can we free our bodies, thoughts, and behaviors from the constraints and social roles that have been imposed on us? How can we rid ourselves of stereotypes and embrace all the marvelous and diverse manifestations of life? How can we reconsider notions of gender and reach our goal, feeling euphoric rather than overwhelmed and exhausted?
The workshop will see participants engage in games and exercises that explore different expressions of masculinity, through the lens of Transfeminism and the provocative irony of queerness. Our aim will be to develop political considerations based on intimacy and create a support group for everyone’s personal journey. We will dress up . . . not to masquerade as the man “who doesn’t have to try,” but because masks are magical objects that conceal to reveal and can engender profound transformations.
Participants will exchange ideas and engage with each other creatively, sharing and expressing something about themselves. The workshop is intended for people assigned female at birth. However, no criteria for exclusion applies and all genders are welcome!
NOTe
- The workshop takes place on March 13 from 2–5 pm, and on March 14 from 10 am–5 pm.
- The experience will end with a collective action taking place in the museum following the workshop, starting at 4 pm on Thursday, March 14.
- Participation is free. Booking required. Places limited (max 15 people).
- Participants must join on both days.
- Participating in the collective action at the end of the workshop is optional.
For further information
didattica@guggenheim-venice.it
+39 041 2405 430
nitx is a transfeminist, antispeciest, and no-border activist who practices art as a lifestyle and a form of rebellion. Since 2012, they organize workshops and performances focused on gender, consent, and sexuality, by merging theatre, energy, magic, erotic, and playful techniques. A PhD student in Gender Studies at the University of Bari Aldo Moro, they published Killing me softly: Romanzo frocio (Agenzia X, 2022, agenziax.it/killing-me-softly).
The workshop takes place on March 13 from 2–5 pm, and on March 14 from 10 am–5 pm.
Participants must be join for both days.
ph. Claudia Borgia