Dora García
BOOKS ARE BODIES (THEY CAN BE DISMEMBERED) – PERFORMANCE

On September 28, artist Dora García invited us to the final performance of her project Books are Bodies (they can be dismembered), designed for and in relation to the spaces and book heritage of the Biblioteca Casanatense in Rome.

García developed a reflection on the notion of censorship and its implications by working on a selection of censored, deleted, dismembered books from the Roman library collection. Tracing their connections, reconstructing their silenced histories, the artist analyzed the potential for subversion that was recognized in the texts. 

Performers Brianda Carreras and Maria Elena Fantoni led the audience in a “conversation scene” in the Reading Room of the Biblioteca Casanatense: while leafing through and commenting on different books conserved on the shelves of the library, the two women developed a dialogue in relation to time, history and contemporaneity.

The event also marked the finissage of Dora García’s installation in the Monumental Hall of the Biblioteca Casanatense. 

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

From Sept. 07 to Sept. 28 – Installation at the Monumental Hall of the Biblioteca Casanatense. The exhibition was open Monday through Friday from 10 am to 2 pm., access free of charge. 

Sept. 21Reading group at the Tempietto del Bramante, Real Academia de España en Roma.