Saint Therese of Avila, a key figure of Catholicism as a mystical and theoretical "Doctor of the Church", revives in "The Kitchen. Homage to Saint Therese ", a series of three videos documenting three performances by Marina Abramovic in the former convent of La Laboral in Gijòn, Spain. The exhibition, entitled" Estasi" in reference to Bernini's masterpiece, was curated by Giuseppe Frangi, scientific director of Casa Testori, and designed by the architect Martina Valcamonica, who shaped it like a spiritual journey. At the time of the performance, in which the black-nun-like dressed artist stood with open arms in a narrow kitchen, Abramovic explained the combination of Saint Therese and the kitchen in this way: "Reading her diaries, I was impressed from the story of her encounter with God, that inflamed her as much that she started to rise while cooking the soup. I loved the energy of divine power, but what I noticed more was how even a gift can be an obstacle to everyday life”. The kitchen stands here for a symbol and it is well-connected to her past as a young woman: when she was in Yugoslavia and saw her grandmothers making dinner, it was the center of her world, before her nomadic life prevented her from cooking.
The kitchen as a spiritual place. Marina Abramovic in Milan
The triptych-video dedicated to Santa Teresa d'Avila will be on show at the Biblioteca Ambrosiana in Milan. What’s the subject? The kitchen as a place for "leavening".
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- 18 October 2019
- Sala Sottofedericiana, Pinacoteca Ambrosiana
- Dal 18 ottobre al 31 dicembre 2019
- Piazza Santo Sepolcro, Milano
- Tuesday to Friday 12.00-20.00 | Saturday and Sunday 10.00-20.00
- From 9 euros