Linda Karshan's first Roman exhibition merges drawing and performance

Linda Karshan (Minneapolis, 1947) presents her first Roman exhibition, 'De Humana Mensura,' curated by Laura Villani at Palazzo della Cancelleria from December 17 to January 19. The show brings together works from Italian and international collections, engaging with Renaissance architecture. Karshan, trained at the Sorbonne, Slade School, and in humanistic psychology, developed a performative method where each mark corresponds to breath, paper rotation, and rhythmic counting. Her works are held by the British Museum, Tate, Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Courtauld Institute of Art. In an interview, she discusses her 'inner choreography' that emerged in 1994 after eleven years of waiting, leading to 'Self Portrait,' now in the British Museum. She also describes her 'walked drawings' and 'swum drawings,' the first of which was created in 2024 at Villa Empain. Karshan cites Samuel Beckett as a central influence, noting the connection between Beckett's 'Quad' and her own work. She emphasizes the role of numbers, classicism, and moral rectitude in her practice.