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entertainment1d ago
‘Entertainment is often violence shrouded in a fun disguise’: Marianna Simnett on being tickled for hours and having Botox injected into her throat
- Simnett unveils Circus at Vienna's Secession, using light, sound, and sculpture to explore violence and desire.
- The artist describes Tickling and Fainting as a deliberate, non-pornographic focus on shared vulnerability.
- Simnett emphasizes the work is not about her but about opening space for others’ experiences to flood into the piece.
- Fountain (2026) uses a neon of a urinating woman, drawing on Balkan folklore and Greek myth to challenge gendered imagery.
- Circus includes references to Baubo and anasyrma, linking the act to cultural courage and resistance.
- Simnett discusses the role of sound, noting it pervades her work even when silent and that she composes scores.
- Circus runs in Vienna through May 31, inviting viewers to engage with difficult states of embodiment.
- The exhibition references Simnett’s personal history, including her grandfather’s wartime fainting as survival.
- Simnett notes a shift from video to a primarily light, sound, and sculpture-based installation for this show.
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