Carolina Bianchi's performance challenges both herself and the audience by addressing violence against women through a radical act of taking anesthetic drops and falling unconscious on stage.
Carolina Bianchi's performance, part of her work "The Bride and the Goodnight Cinderella" in Helsinki, engages the audience in a confronting reflection on violence against women. Inspired by the tragic fate of Italian artist Pippa Bacca, who was raped and murdered in Turkey during an artistic project in 2008, Bianchi utilizes her art to spotlight this grave issue. The performance starts with Bianchi recalling stories of artists who have tackled violence, setting a grave context for what follows.
In a striking and provocative act, Bianchi raises a chalice filled with anesthetic drops to her lips and consumes it, soon after collapsing unconscious on stage. This radical gesture forces the audience to confront the reality of violence in a visceral way, as Bianchi's body lies motionless while the performance continues around her. This stark depiction poses unsettling questions about the visibility and absence of individuals affected by violence in the artistic space.
Bianchi challenges the audience and fellow performers to reckon with the implications of witnessing a body that exists in a state of unconsciousness, rendering them both participants and witnesses to this artistic exploration of trauma and survival. The choice to depict such a moment of vulnerability emphasizes the pervasive issue of gender-based violence and invites profound reflection on its impact on society as a whole.
