Breaking the Spell

Breaking the Spell is a pilot step of the artistic research project that reflected practices of thinking-with and being-with in performing arts and researched spells as political and artistic practice. Stemming for the moment of an overwhelming exhaustion by the dominant modes of producing in the arts field, it attempted to understand how to make art in between the ends of the world. Together with a group of European artworkers, we have been looking for feminist strategies to build transnational allingments and re-enchant (as Silvia Federici has it) the ways we work.

For a year and a half between 2022 and 2023, we gathered in four European cities, being hosted by Residenz Schauspiel in Leipzig, Munich Kammerspiele, InSzPer Performing Arts Institute in Warsaw and Viernulvier in Ghent.

Breaking the Spell was curated by Marta Keil in cooperation with Thomas Frank (Residenz Schauspiel Leipzig), Olivia Ebert (Münchner Kammerspiele in Munich), Grzegorz Reske (Performing Arts Institute in Warsaw) and Kopano Maroga and Marieke de Munck (Viernulvier in Ghent).

Artists:
Bodies of Knowledge (Flore Herman, Joana B. Polge, Damla Ekin Tokel, Sarah Vanhee), Aleksandra Borys, Silvia Bottiroli, Alicja Czyczel, Charlotte Eifler, Begüm Erciyas, Mike Dittrich Frydetzki, Martina Hefter, Samara Hersch, Marta Jalowska, Caroline Kapp, Lina Majdalanie, Agata Maszkiewicz, Giorgia Ohanesian Nardin, Agata Siniarska, Swoosh Lieu, Ingrid Vranken, Stefanie Wenner

archiving practice: Zuzanna Berendt, Anna Majewska
production management: Ulrike Melzwig

Funded by the German Federal Cultural Foundation
Funded by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media