4th Thessaloniki Performance Festival

The Thessaloniki Performance Festival, following the biennial rhythm of the Biennale, aspires to build and develop an open field of experimentation and a timely dialogue of communication and communion around the ephemeral practice of performance, by promoting and showcasing the latest body-based and experiential pursuits, helping establish the art of performance. The dialogue between artists and audiences, which has been a staple of all previous editions of the Festival, reveals the wide scope and interdisciplinary nature of the art of performance. On that basis, the works presented touch on a variety of issues and themes, reflect aesthetic diversity, record present-day socio-political issues and the personal conflicts of artists, take a critical look at the establishment and all forms of oppression, while also expressing the urgent necessity for the emergence of active and interventional communication. By stressing the interactive and subversive nature of performance and the great diversity of its disciplines, interpretations and approaches, artists are called upon to participate in a process of “live” exchange of views and ideas, articulating and sharing their experiences and stories. This convergence of the various disciplines, comprising performance’s conceptual substance, coexists with a declared desire to trace and investigate the role of performance artists and the essence of an art form that is shaped by and, in turn, helps shape socio-political processes.

Artists: Márcio Carvalho, Victoria Gray, Jonas Kocher – Dafni Stefanou – Janosch Perler- Ruedy Schwyn, Mischa Kuball, Carlos Martiel, Medie Megas, Rhiannon Morgan, Surabhi Saraf, SUKA OFF, Ulay
Opening concert: Harry Elektron & Rosita
Tributes/exhibitions: Leda Papaconstantinou, Ulay
Workshop: Yorgos Bakalos
Video performances/screenings: Cyprus International Performance Art Festival, Videoplay, Sofia Underground International Performance Art Festival
One-day conference: Actions and re-actions in the Greek artistic field. Research and concerns about performance art in Greece
Scientific coordination: Alexandra Antoniadou
Keynote speakers: Alexandra Antoniadou, Christiana Galanopoulou, Glafki Gotsi, Foteini Kalle, Areti Leopoulou, Costis Stafylakis, Irini Yeroyianni