Dream Belly-up (Dog or Fish?) | Marianna Simnett
I'm more interested in death, but it comes out as sex. The horse breeding, the teat, the worm in my mouth. There is a creepy, phallic energy, a sensuality and foreplay. Inevitably there is unresolved trauma, which brings images to the surface again and again.*
On October 18th at 8.30 pm join us for an evening exploring the daring and forceful video artworks of Marianna Simnett. Her bold, striking visuals unravel the hidden structures of violence in our world, navigating a space where the erotic, death, and the unconscious intertwine.
Drawing from Audre Lorde’s concept of the erotic as a source of feminine power, Simnett's films tap into a visceral energy, layered with phallic symbols, sensuality, and unresolved trauma. Her hybrid characters blur the lines between scientific inquiry, folklore, and instinct, inviting viewers into a surreal yet intimate space of inquiry.
From body horror to cinematic musicals, Simnett's work balances deadly seriousness with wicked humor. Don't miss this chance to experience her bold reimagination of power, trauma, and transformation.
This year the artist's works were shown in one of the largest departments of the Berlin National Gallery - Hamburger Bahnhof - Nationalgalerie der Gegenwart. In 2022, Simnett presented works at the 59th Venice Biennale. Simnett has exhibited in numerous prestigious institutions, including the Julia Stoschek Collection, Berlin (2021); the Institute of Modern Art, Brisbane (2020); Kunsthalle Zürich (2019); the Frans Hals Museum, Haarlem (2019).
*- from Fatos Ustek interview with the artist, Marianna Simnett on Dead Lovers in the Attic in EXTRA EXTRA, No 16.