Florentina Holzinger’s exhibition at the Austrian Pavilion in Venice has become a major talking point of the biennale, stirring considerable discussion with its bold and unconventional elements. The artist, known for pushing boundaries, presents a performance that includes a naked performer ringing a bell with her body and another individual immersed in the audience’s urine, prompting questions about the nature of provocation and public reaction.

On a damp morning in Venice, art world figures gathered on a boat in the lagoon to witness a unique performance. Facing them, a barge equipped with a large crane stood ready. Naked women, adorned only with tattoos and boots, appeared on the barge’s deck. Under the direction of a bandleader, some began playing instruments, creating a powerful sonic experience. One electric guitarist, attached to the crane, ascended to a dizzying height and performed while straddling a steel bar, accompanied by a vocalist whose raw, Yoko Ono-esque screams echoed across the water.

Following a twenty-minute period of intense drone music, the crane lifted a cast-iron bell from the frigid water. Inside the bell, suspended upside down, was a woman with long hair. As the bell ascended, breaking the Venice skyline, she began to move her body from side to side, sending its resonant sound across the water.

English Translation:

‘How can nudity be so provocative?’ Florentina Holzinger on rocking Venice with naked jetskiers, human bells and urine divers

The artist’s Austrian Pavilion, which features a performer ringing a bell with her body and another immersed in the audience’s own urine, is the talk of the biennale. Why is she so surprised by people’s reaction? It’s a damp Venice morning. In the middle of the lagoon, art world luminaries with dripping umbrellas are climbing on to a boat with raked seating to witness a one-off performance. Stationed opposite them is a barge fitted with a large crane, its boom extended high above the water, its heavy anchor chain plunging into the turbid depths. Women, naked but for tattoos and boots, emerge on to the deck of the barge. Directed by a bandleader in rubber waders, some pick up instruments and create an intense wall of sound. The electric guitarist clips herself on to the slippery crane, climbs to a vertiginous height and rocks out while straddling a steel bar. She is joined by a vocalist who screams and squalls like Yoko Ono. After 20 minutes of heavy drone, the boom rises, hoisting a cast-iron bell from the frigid water. Suspended upside down within it is a long-haired woman. As the bell rises above the Venice skyline, she begins to slam her body from side to side, sending a ringing out across the water.