Marilisa Cosello: Performance, Photography, and the Banality of Power

Marilisa Cosello (b. 1978) is an Italian artist whose research spans performance, photography, drawing, collage, and artist books. In an interview with Artribune, she discusses her work "Esercizi Obbligatori" (2016–18), a three-act piece examining political, familial, and social power structures. The first act references Fascist-era Saturday gymnastics, reproducing exercises from a period manual found in Salerno, highlighting the absurdity of dictatorial power. The second act uses color Polaroids to depict everyday limitations and coercion, with performers accepting constraints without rebellion. The third act explores family dynamics, with undefined roles and interpretable scenes. Cosello cites Fabio Mauri as a key influence, particularly his work "Che cosa è il fascismo." She also discusses "Matrimonio" (2016–17), created during a residency in Finland, where she re-photographed underexposed wedding archive images to find human presence in a dominant landscape. The interview was conducted by Angela Madesani with Camilla Coppola.