Miriam Governatori: Performance, Drawing, and the Queer Failure of Exhibition Space

Miriam Governatori (Foligno, 2001) is an Italian artist whose practice resists traditional exhibition formats through performance, drawing, and DIY objects. In a recent performance at Almanac in Turin, she wore a large papier-mâché head, smashed it during a group show, and released biscuits. Governatori describes her work as driven by torment rather than agitation, and she approaches exhibition spaces as stage sets where fiction layers alter perception. She rarely rehearses full performances but mentally rehearses structure and timing, embracing partial control and the concept of "queer failure" as theorized by José Esteban Muñoz. Her drawing practice functions as a stream of consciousness and a channel to the unconscious, which she handles delicately to preserve its involuntary nature. She holds a degree in art and design from the Free University of Bolzano (2024) and has participated in residencies including Posidonieto curated by Zoë De Luca Legge at Lac O Le Mon (2024) and New Gen curated by Almanac, Cripta747, and Mucho Mas! (2025). She lives and works in Turin. Governatori cites influences from Louise Bourgeois, Lygia Clark, Natasha Tontey, and even Art Attack. She is currently working on an album for the Turin label Discount, a collage of digital sounds and recordings of talking toys, set for spring release. She plans to move abroad for further performative studies, preferring a second job over the pressure of artistic success.