Marianne Heier on Her Performance at Brera and Oslo

Norwegian artist Marianne Heier discusses her performance "And Their Spirits Live On," presented at the Gipsoteca di Brera in Milan and later at a former bank building in Oslo. The performance reinterprets classical sculptures from Brera's plaster cast collection, using collage-like text and multiple languages. In Milan, the work unfolded amidst students and tourists, giving it an activist quality, while in Oslo it was more theatrical, with sculptures shown as projected photos. Heier collaborated with performer Marie Gurine Askeland in Oslo, creating a dynamic dialogue. The performance ends with two politically charged songs: "Bella ciao" sung by an Italian student choir and "La voce della rivoluzione" by Rudolf Nilsen sung by a Norwegian choir, linking past liberation struggles to contemporary protests like Greta Thunberg's. Heier aims to "profane" classical works, stripping away conservative interpretations to reveal their latent potential and relevance for young audiences.