The Artist Who Captivated Venice This Year In Conversation with Florentina Holzinger

[English digest of the original coverage]

by Editor Jeonghun Yoon

Your performances feature women of various ages and body types. What kind of solidarity do you envision through this collective presence?

We come from incredibly diverse fields—not only dance and theater, but also pornography, sports, circus, magic, piercing, opera, and experimental music. Our nationalities, ages, cultural backgrounds, and physical traits are all uniquely different. At the core of our performance are these distinct narratives of "how the body is commodified." Ultimately, collaborating with them is akin to a process of proposing and creating a powerful utopia on stage, and then bringing that vision into reality.

Regarding the intense visceral impact and high-intensity nature experienced by the audience, you have maintained a calm stance, viewing it merely as physical execution and a process of mastering technical challenges. 

I believe that art must constantly question the audience and expand their perceptions. I think we have an obligation to encourage viewers to reflect on the specific elements that trigger their unease or unfamiliarity. One of my performers, Beatrice Cordua (1943–2025), who passed away last year, once said: "People are deeply moved or unsettled by your work because they witness things being combined in an unexpected way, which shifts them out of established conventions." If necessary, I am more than willing to take full responsibility for that response. In the theater, we can literally shed a 'new light' on things. To me, that is the true beauty of theater. It is a space where we can propose an entirely different, imaginative world.