Books are bodies (they can be dismembered) is the title of artist Dora García‘s new work designed for and in relation to the book heritage of the Biblioteca Casanatense in Rome. The project consisted of an exhibition, a performance and a reading group, developing a reflection on the notion of censorship and its implications. García worked on a selection of censored, erased, dismembered books from the collection of the Biblioteca Casanatense: tracing their connections and reconstructing their silenced histories, the artist analyzed the potential subversion that was recognized within the texts.

The exhibition in the Monumental Hall of the Biblioteca Casanatense was inaugurated on September 7. A series of showcases collected and presented a group of ancient volumes that were subject to censorship, part of the library’s heritage and selected by Dora García during her months of study and research.
The installation focused specifically on the volume Apocalypsis Nova, written by Beato Amadeo da Silva at the site of the apostle Peter’s martyrdom, the Tempietto del Bramante, now part of the Real Academia de España en Roma. The text, which was shown in three manuscript copies, bore witness to a frightening change of the times and was censured for its prophetic visions. 

At the opening of the installation García personally presented the project and its evolution to the public.

The exhibition was open until September 28, Monday through Friday from 10 am to 2 pm. Access was free of charge. 

The program of Books are bodies (they can be dismembered) included:

• Sept. 21 – Reading group at the Tempietto del Bramante, Real Academia de España en Roma.
• Sept. 28 – Performance in the Reading Room of the Biblioteca Casanatense, with the participation of Brianda Carreras and Maria Elena Fantoni. Finissage of the exhibition in the Monumental Hall.