Slaven Tolj strips naked to 'Bella Ciao' in Bologna performance

On February 4, 2023, Croatian artist Slaven Tolj performed a durational piece titled 'Bologna, February 2023' at the inauguration of his solo exhibition 'Craquelure. Pavo and me' at Collezioni Comunali d'Arte in Palazzo d'Accursio, Bologna. During the performance, Tolj slowly undressed before a crowd, sat naked on a chair, and listened to the song 'Bella Ciao' in silence. The exhibition, curated by Daniele Capra and running until March 5, 2023, presents fifteen object-based and documentary works spanning Tolj's career from the late 1980s to recent pieces. His practice, rooted in body art and conceptualism, draws on personal experiences including the dissolution of Yugoslavia and a stroke that affected his linguistic abilities. The show is dedicated to photographer Pavo Urban, a friend killed in the war in Dubrovnik on December 6, 1991. This marks Tolj's first solo exhibition at an Italian public museum. A video of the performance was made by Nico Covre.