Giorgia Ohanesian Nardin is an italian artist of Armenian descent practicing in the fields of dance and performance. Over the past 7 years they have been facilitating Pleasure Body, a space for theoretic/perceptive/somatic research and discovery around pleasure.
Talk body to me is the opening, in the form of a conversation, of the research around Pleasure Body, starting from some of its key questions:
During the talk we will traverse these and other questions trying to approach the discussion from a somatic perception.
ACCESS NOTES
Language: English.
Warehouse9’s workspace has level free entrance to the space and an accessible toilet that can be accessed via a stairlift.
All events at Warehouse9 are considered “relaxed”.
Duration: approx 90 minutes.
ABOUT
Giorgia Ohanesian Nardin is an Italian artist of Armenian descent working in the contexts of dance and live performance.
Trained in dance, their work exists in the shape of movement video text choreography sound gatherings and deals with the relationship between dancing, divination and writing; with geography and the opposite of belonging; with a fetish for language, its politics and its many frictions.
They began making work in 2010 in collaboration with artists Marco D’Agostin and Francesca Foscarini, with whom they founded Associazione Culturale VAN (2014).
Since 2018, Giorgia periodically holds Pleasure Body, a space for facilitating practices and conversations associated with pleasure and rest, questioning the narrations around labors of care and hosting critical thinking around words like well-being, health, healing, recovery. Pleasure Body is currently touring extensively, being held in a variety of situations, from cultural institutions to queer occupied spaces. Giorgia was invited to hold Pleasure Body at, amongst others: Harvard University in the context of Chiasmi – Queering Italian Studies, Siobhan Davies Studios, Saison Foundation Tokyo, Short Theatre Roma, Gropius Bau, Sophiensaele.
In 2020 they created Գիշեր | gisher, a multimedia piece that focuses on their experience as a diasporic Armenian. The work has been selected for LIFT Concept Touring and is currently on tour.
In 2022-23, Giorgia’s work is produced and supported by VIERNULVIER; they are also a selected artist for Breaking the Spell, research project that deals with ethics of care and feminist discourses in artmaking. As an independent writer and poet, Giorgia’s work has been included in L’Ano Solare – a year long programme of sex and self display (axis axis editions), curated by Il Colorificio.
They hold an ongoing writing/thinking practice with London – based artist Jamila Johnson-Small, with whom they have curated several events that focus on holding/facilitating/questioning space as/for subaltern subjectivities in institutional contexts.
Their work is produced and supported by, amongst others: Associazione Culturale VAN, VIERNULVIER, Centrale Fies Art Work Space, AtelierSi, BASE Milano, Lavanderia a Vapore, Milano Mediterranea ميلانو المتوسّطيةّ
Jasmin has a master’s degree in English and cultural communications from the University of Copenhagen and has worked with several fields within the cultural sphere. She has worked with executing and communicating films, festivals, art fairs, and literature, and has now embarked upon queer performance art at Warehouse9.
Emma (they/she) has been a core member since 2012 and a leading effort in driving organisational development. They have helped shape WH9’s artistic profile, initiated national and international collaborations and consolidated WH9 through fundraising strategies, and insisting on production methods centering care and accessiblility.
In addition, Emma works as an independent curator, e.g. through the curatorial duo osborn&møller, where they have acted as guest curator at the Wellcome Collection (UK) and curated part of City of Women’s 25 year anniversary festival in 2019 (SL). Emma has experience as a freelance producer in the UK, where they worked with artists such as Poppy Jackson, Manuel Vason and SPILL Festival. Emma holds a MA in Theater and Performance from Queen Mary, University of London and a BA (Hons) in Drama, Applied Theatre & Education from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama.
Jørgen Callesen (They/He) is co-founder and co-director of Warehouse9.
For the past 17 years, they have been an integral part of developing Warehouse9 to become a leading organisation for cross-aesthetic queer art, including international festivals and socially engaged projects. He holds a Ph.D. in information & media science from Aarhus University (2005) and has an artistic practice with the performance figure “miss fish”. They have presented solo work in Denmark and internationally since 2002 and work in collaboration with numerous queer artists as well as in lager scale productions.
