Giovanni Anceschi's Somatic Art Staged at Milan's Opera Prison

The performance 'Noi guerra! Le meraviglie del nulla' was live-streamed from the theater of Milan's Opera prison, marking the first time a social media broadcast originated from a correctional facility. The show was produced by Opera Liquida, a theater company composed of medium-security inmates and former detainees, directed by Ivana Trettel. The actors performed physical and emotional scores based on Giovanni Anceschi's 1959 'Tavole di possibilità liquida'. Anceschi, born in Milan in 1939, founded Gruppo T, a key group in kinetic and programmed art. He collaborated with the company on themes of time, perception, prosthetic art, and somatic art. The performance engaged with war in a broad sense, including internal conflict. Anceschi's work emphasizes the body as both subject and object, with the actor-spectator at the center. The show will debut publicly at the Opera prison for a mixed audience of inmates and civilians, with additional performances planned at other theaters under escort.