Florentina Holzinger's Venetian Tableaux

"When I saw her latest, A Year without Summer, 2025, last year at Berlin’s Volksbühne, there were orgies, sex with a person of short stature, and a fierce, dildo-wielding cohort of bodies of all sizes. Add to that a “facelift” procedure in which a stunt performer was lifted by her cheeks toward the fly tower onstage. And, finally, a series of explosive fecal disasters."

The biennale is marked by political tension, public unrest, and internal upheaval, creating a heavy atmosphere for visitors. Golden Lion awards will not be issued traditionally, and a voting public could still recognize Florentina Holzinger’s debut at the Austrian pavilion. Her performance installation is described as feisty, strange, and memorable, built from long ensemble works featuring nudity, stunts, extreme body actions, disturbing monologues, and moments of levity and hope. Her earlier work is framed as shifting from European theater notoriety toward contemporary art. A Year without Summer (2025) is characterized by explicit sexual scenes, physical spectacle, and chaotic, deliberately shocking elements including a stunt involving a performer lifted by her cheeks and explosive fecal disasters.

Read at Artforum