Simone Forti
Simone Forti is a celebrated American postmodern artist, dancer, choreographer and writer, born in Italy. She has dedicated herself to research into kinaesthetic awareness, always engaging with experimentation and improvisation. Investigating the relationship between objects and bodies, through animal studies, news animations and land portraits, she has reconfigured the concept of performance and dance.
During a stay in Rome in the late 60s, Forti visited a zoo. Many hours of observation resulted in sketches of animals circling, rolling, turning and swaying. This marked the beginning of her research into the rituals of animal movement. The drawings also include notes. The film Three Grizzlies (1974) dates from the same period of animal studies, which resulted in a series of choreographic works. The film visualises the artist’s interest in the zoo as a form of confinement. Shot by Elaine Hartnett, the film continuously follows three grizzly bears in New York’s Central Park as they move from one end of their small cage to the other. The bears’ movement is a ‘functional ritual’ of survival.
Simon Forti, Three Grizzlies, 1974 video, black-and-white, sound, 17 minutes.
Exhibited work:
Three Grizzlies, 1974
© Simone Forti. Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Madrid. Courtesy Video Data Bank