Agata Zubel performs Crossover/s at Pirelli HangarBicocca

In the dimly lit, near-empty Cubo of Pirelli HangarBicocca in Milan, where Miroslaw Balka's installation Yellow Nerve is on view, the amplified voice of Agata Zubel suddenly fills the space. Zubel, who together with Cezary Duchnowski forms the duo ElettroVoce, performs a composition of electronic music made of noises, whispers, pauses, and sudden strikes. The Polish contemporary classical singer moves through Balka's exhibition Crossover/s, interacting with each work in a studied, almost didactic manner. Her sound shakes the silent, heavy, symbol-laden installations: she rubs a microphone against the corridor-gate reminiscent of a camp, which spectators slowly traverse; her footsteps disturb an unbalanced platform. The audience follows in silent, reverent attention. This theatrical ritual offers an original way to 'sonorize and amplify' Balka's monumental works, making the already sinister, anguishing, slightly repelling space even more intense. The performance was a bold choice for HangarBicocca, challenging an audience often unaccustomed to contemporary art and avant-garde sound performances. The event took place in 2017.