In the Waste of Others. Florentina Holzinger
The article provides a vivid, first-hand account of Florentina Holzinger’s performance art piece 'SEAWORLD VENICE' at the Venice Biennale. It describes the visceral, experimental nature of the performance, which blends industrial elements with human choreography in a public water setting.
Why it matters
It documents the evolution of contemporary performance art as it moves out of traditional theater spaces into complex public environments.
It’s the first official pre-opening day of the 61st Venice Biennale and we, a group of eager art tourists, are huddling together on a pier. While the rain slowly falls down on us, we pile into several boats. We’re on our way to the much anticipated and highly exclusive Opening Étude of Florentina Holzinger’s SEAWORLD VENICE (2026). For those in the know, the choreographer and performance artist Holzinger started staging one-offs under the title of Études in 2020 as a way to experiment outside the black box theaters where she’s been staging her works since 2012. Taking her choreographies into public space has offered the artist a chance to create much more complex compositions in dialogue with architecture and natural elements.
The report is descriptive and observational, focusing on the artistic experience rather than political or social commentary.
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