The Neue Nationalgalerie hosts a performance by the Italian-Brazilian artist Anna Maria Maiolino in the upper hall. “Entrevidas” was first realized in a public space in Rio de Janeiro in 1981. On a street in the city centre, passers-by made their way through hundreds of raw chicken eggs. In this setting, the egg, a symbol of life with an inherent fragility, problematized the atmosphere of danger during the Brazilian military dictatorship. With the updated version in Berlin, Maiolino points to the uncertainties of today.

Anna Maria Maiolino (born 1942) conceived “Entrevidas” (Between Lives) when the military dictatorship had already been in power in Brazil for over 15 years and severely restricted freedom in the country. At the beginning of the 1980s, repression of the population gradually decreased but greater democratization had not yet begun. “Entrevidas” illustrates this state of uncertainty, the people's feeling of walking on eggshells. On a paved street in front of her studio in Rio de Janeiro, Maiolino distributed hundreds of uncooked chicken eggs and invited people passing by to move through this obstacle course. The egg thereby represented the fragility of life on the one hand, but a moment of resistance on the other, by asserting itself in a perilous environment.

The revival of this historical piece of Latin American performance art at the Neue Nationalgalerie will show and explore its current relevance. Feelings of insecurity and threat are omnipresent in light of the war in Europe, the global climate crisis, and the profound shaking caused by the global Corona pandemic. A performer will walk through the expansive installation of eggs in the spatious glass hall, and will actively involve the audience. The serial arrangement of organic material in conjunction with the moving body will unfold a special aesthetic in Mies van der Rohe's architecture, which is characterized by geometric austerity.

Dates

“Entrevidas” lasts approximately 45 minutes and will be performed by Gabriel Sitchin at the following times:

• Thursday, 25 May 2023, 7 pm
• Friday, 26 May 2023, 5 pm
• Saturday, 27 May 2023, 4 pm

The artist will be present on Saturday, May 27. Following the performance, there will be an artist talk at 5 pm.

Curator

Irina Hiebert Grun

Prices/Tickets

To attend the performance and the artist talk, please book a general museum ticket, which provides admission to all exhibitions in the building.

A special exhibition of the Nationalgalerie – Staatliche Museen zu Berlin