Abriendo paso / Opening paths: Performance by Susana Pilar Delahante Matienzo
EPISODE 1 – FOROF ESSENZA
On 10 May 2023, FOROF inaugurated the Special Season FOROF ESSENZA with its first Episode, Abriendo paso / Opening paths, a performance by Cuban artist Susana Pilar Delahante Matienzo, curated by Veronica Siciliani Fendi.
Conceived as an experimental dialogue between contemporary art, the history of Rome and the art of perfume-making, the Season explores the concept of Freedom through the symbolic and historical legacy of the Basilica Ulpia, where in ancient Rome slaves could regain their freedom through the public act of manumissio.
Suggested photo: the artist at the beginning of the performance within the archaeological space.
A symbolic act of rupture
With Abriendo paso / Opening paths, Susana Pilar activated a powerful symbolic action shaped in dialogue with the architecture and energy of the site. The performance emphasized freedom as a necessary condition for life, transforming the hypogeum space into a place of resistance, passage and affirmation.
The historical significance of the Basilica Ulpia played a decisive role in the development of the work: the liberation of slaves became a lens through which the artist reflected on identity, ancestry and the body as a living archive of histories marked by displacement and oppression.
As the artist stated, the work speaks of freedom and obstacles, urging us to confront fear and to decide how we stand before the barriers that challenge us.
Suggested photo: a dynamic moment of the performance, highlighting gesture and movement in the space.
Body, race, gender, and resistance
At the core of Susana Pilar’s artistic practice are the body and issues related to gender, race and social justice, with particular attention to the condition of women and the discrimination they continue to face.
Her personal and political research draws attention to the social realities of women in Cuba, turning art into a form of testimony and denunciation. Within FOROF, this perspective found a resonant setting, where archaeology and contemporary expression came together to reflect on both ancient and present-day forms of subjugation.
The performance thus became not only an individual gesture, but also a collective reflection on emancipation, dignity and self-determination.
Suggested photo: close-up of the artist during the performance, expressive and intense moment.
An exhibition extending the performance
The performance also opened the exhibition No necesitamos muros / We don’t need walls, presented at FOROF until 28 May 2023. The exhibition included the video documentation of the action, works generated through the performance, preparatory watercolours, and earlier videos by the artist, including Historias Negras, El Tanque and Resistencia.
Within FOROF ESSENZA, the dialogue between visual art, sensory memory and archaeology was further enriched by the collaboration with Laura Bosetti Tonatto, one of the most renowned noses in the field, who translated the history and olfactory memory of the site into a fragrance dedicated to Freedom.
The artistic and cultural programme of the Season continued on 15 June 2023 with L’Incontro, a reading by Silvia Giambrone curated by Paola Ugolini, expanding FOROF’s reflection on memory, justice and liberation through a multidisciplinary series of Episodes.
Suggested photo: installation view of the exhibition, including video and works displayed in the underground space.