“The body is important because it gets in touch with space. We must catch that moment when the subject becomes an object; the relationship between space and body goes into the viewer's imaginary and everything becomes the sensory world, discourse or concept, argument or excuse ... In this cycle we want the dialogue between space and body to show other possibilities of use”. This summarizes Mateo Feijóo, curator of the monographic Space and Body, the core of the exhibition. "Throughout history, the body has transmitted many messages, from the metaphysical sphere, to the political or social sphere. It has also been the subject of discussions; what one sees as beautiful for another will be ugly; where one sees sexual exploitation, another will see desire. The body becomes the representation of the world.”

From the collaboration of Fernando Pérez and Mateo Feijóo arises this third monograph dedicated to the living arts, which completes the cycle Bodies and Image and Sound, previously carried out around dance and audiovisual. “The objective is to address the thematic aspect of artistic areas, how artistic disciplines are linked to each other, and their relationship with the social and cultural sphere,” explains Pérez. “Usually, the main axis is the living arts or the live arts: dance, theatre, music, peformance... But today audiovisual media have a great influence on the rest of artistic disciplines and that must be taken into account.”

Dance, performance, art, desire, space, stereotype, morality, gender, sex, the private body and the public and identity are the concepts that will be used in the artistic activities organized by the Alhóndiga. Activities shall not be carried out in normal spaces, such as theatres or enclosed spaces. “Our goal is to open ourselves to other spaces, to bring these living arts to other spaces of other artistic disciplines,” says Pérez. An example of this is the dance performances carried out within the program. They will be held at the Alhóndiga Exhibition Hall. “In the room where we normally see dead art, we wanted to show the living arts, creating a white space for naked bodies, and moving away from the usual dark camera, from the usual stage.”

The city in contact with the body

Both events will take place on 17 and 19 May with Martin Padrón, a member of the Choreographic Centre of La Gomera (Canary Islands) and Apostolia Papadamaki, who will come from Greece. In the case of Papadamaki, this is the first time it is held in the Basque Country. Martin Padrón has been an international pioneer in the field of didactic dance. “In the case of Martin Padrón, the seats will be limited, they can only be seen by 100 people, in a single line and creating a complete view of the creator.”

It has also been decided to create artificial spaces that are fully integrated in the city as the installation in the atrium of the Alhóndiga of the eighteen-metre diameter Medusa plant, created by the German Marco Canevacci and its company. “We will create a space within another space and we want to test how it looks and changes the body inside and out.” Medusan’s proposals will have a special place during these three days. Pier 3, a Bilbao dance school, an aizkolari and fashion designer Alberto Sinpatron will show their work in space.

Another example of the use of the street as a scenic space is the installation Na rua, which will bring the Portuguese company Teatro Utero. “Not only dance and movement: the spaces and relationships that emerge from theater and words are the objective of this installation,” explains AlhóndigaBilbao’s programmer. It is a spectacle for a single viewer and can be seen in a special space created by two perforated structures that will be installed in the Atrium, with actors putting their heads in one hole and audience in the other. The Teatro Utero group will also offer a workshop for interpreters and dancers, between the Advertising and Intimacy that Blanca Ortiga and Jara Cosculluela will offer for women.

German creator Bridge Markland brings back a performance. In Pérez’s words, “it is important for us how the transformation of bodies is produced in the performing arts, how gender, sex and stereotypes are understood from the artistic point of view”. In the performance The most beautiful woman in the word (the most beautiful woman in the world) Markland goes from being an attractive woman, to becoming a man through word, music and songs. He will change his body and his clothes, but also his speech. “In this way, it transmits deep sensations to the public through simple shows. It is important not to be afraid of these changes. In this show we can laugh but also reflect.”

It is a monograph aimed at adults who is forbidden access to minors “by various images, even by speeches”.

In addition, the monographic film cycle will immerse itself in the world of space and body. “There we will see, for example, the film directed by the German dancer and choreographer Pina Bausch, which was premiered in 1981. It’s a unique opportunity to see these kinds of proposals, as they’re not on the Internet or in the business rooms.” Also noteworthy is the photo exhibition 30 years of German dance theatre, which brings together 60 photographs given by the Goethe Institute. “If I had to make a recommendation, it’s to put myself in the monograph during those three days to draw some conclusions. Many think that contemporaneity is for an elite, but our goal is for us all to be part of it”, concludes Pérez.