ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

Eglė Budvytytė's Performance Challenges Masculinity Myths at Maxxi

exhibition · 2026-05-05

Nine male performers marched silently through Rome's Flaminio district, led by an off-screen female voice, starting and ending at the Maxxi Museum square. Their controlled, rigid gestures evoked a military unit while conveying guilt, seduction, and concealment. Lithuanian artist Eglė Budvytytė (born 1981, based in Amsterdam) created this work to reflect on the physical and psychological pressure men endured under the Soviet regime, subverting stereotypes of strength and confidence. The performance, titled Choreography for the Running Male, took place on October 14, 2017, as part of the museum's program for the 13th AMACI Contemporary Day. It is documented in a video included in Budvytytė's solo exhibition Tra Ciglia e pensiero, curated by Benedetta Carpi De Resmini at AlbumArte in Rome, running until November 11, 2017. The exhibition marks the artist's first show in Italy, featuring video works that juxtapose unusual scenarios with everyday elements, creating short circuits between reality and fiction and questioning the subject's role in broader social reflection.

Key facts

  • Nine male performers marched silently through Rome's Flaminio district.
  • The march was led by an off-screen female voice.
  • The performance started and ended at the Maxxi Museum square.
  • Gestures were controlled and rigid, evoking a military unit.
  • The work reflects on pressure men faced under the Soviet regime.
  • The performance is titled Choreography for the Running Male.
  • It took place on October 14, 2017, at Maxxi.
  • It was part of the 13th AMACI Contemporary Day program.
  • The artist is Eglė Budvytytė, born 1981 in Lithuania, based in Amsterdam.
  • The exhibition Tra Ciglia e pensiero is curated by Benedetta Carpi De Resmini.
  • The exhibition is at AlbumArte in Rome until November 11, 2017.
  • This is Budvytytė's first exhibition in Italy.
  • The exhibition includes video works blending unusual scenarios and everyday elements.

Entities

Artists

  • Eglė Budvytytė

Institutions

  • Maxxi
  • AlbumArte
  • AMACI

Locations

  • Rome
  • Italy
  • Flaminio district
  • Amsterdam
  • Netherlands
  • Lithuania

Sources