Anna Maria Maiolino's UK Retrospective at Whitechapel Gallery Explores Political Silence and Fragility
The Whitechapel Gallery in London is hosting Anna Maria Maiolino's inaugural UK retrospective, titled 'Making Love Revolutionary,' from September 25, 2019, to January 12, 2020. This exhibition showcases her artistic journey over five decades. In her pieces, eggs represent the delicacy of life, motherhood, and female reproduction. The 1976 film + – = – depicts men rolling eggs, merging medical and athletic themes. During Brazil's military dictatorship, her 1981 performance Entrevidas featured a blindfolded woman on a pavement covered in eggs, highlighting political unrest. Born in Italy in 1942, Maiolino relocated to Venezuela at twelve before moving to Brazil. Her work often explores themes of repression, as seen in the installation Until Now (2019) and the etching Escape Angle (1971).
Key facts
- Anna Maria Maiolino's first UK retrospective titled 'Making Love Revolutionary'
- Exhibition held at Whitechapel Gallery in London from September 25, 2019, to January 12, 2020
- Eggs are a recurring symbol representing fragility, motherhood, and political oppression
- Includes the 1976 film + – = – (Mais Menos Igual Menos) with men rolling eggs
- Features the 1981 performance Entrevidas in Rio de Janeiro during Brazil's dictatorship
- Maiolino was born in Italy in 1942, moved to Venezuela at age twelve, then to Brazil
- Photographic triptych É o que sobra (1974) references silencing under dictatorship
- Site-specific installation Until Now (2019) uses unfired terracotta strands
Entities
Artists
- Anna Maria Maiolino
- Jair Bolsonaro
Institutions
- Whitechapel Gallery
- ArtReview
Locations
- London
- United Kingdom
- Italy
- Venezuela
- Brazil
- Rio de Janeiro