“Import/Export”, the European project of Performance Art starts from Livorno heading towards Berlin and Belgrade.

The first stage of the European Performance Art project “Import/Export Creative Europe” starts from Livorno and will also arrive in Berlin and Belgrade. From September 18th to 23rd, workshops, activities, live works by international artists, and open performances for everyone will take place at the Fortezza Vecchia in Livorno and in various locations throughout the city.

The initiative has obtained the patronage and contribution of the Tuscany Region, Livorno Municipality, and Livorno Foundation.

Import/Export is carried out by a collective of six artists who are also co-founders of the project: Maria Novella Tattanelli, Tiina Lehtimäki, Enrico L’Abbate, Aleksander Zain, Sharon Estacio, Darius Bogdanowicz, in collaboration with Mo-Wan Teatro di Livorno, Flugraben e.V. from Berlin, and U10 Art Collective from Belgrade.

The program of the event was presented today, Tuesday, September 12th, in the Ceremonial Hall of the Municipal Palace. Among the speakers were Simone Lenzi, Councilor for Culture of Livorno Municipality, Luciano Barsotti, President of Livorno Foundation, Maria Novella Tattanelli, Artistic Coordinator of Import/Export, Enrico L’Abbate, who conveyed greetings from Alessandro Brucioni and Claudia Caldarano of Mo-wan Teatro and organizers of Import/Export, who were absent because they were involved in a festival outside the region.

IMPORT/EXPORT brings the collective experience of 130 international performance artists to potential spaces for Performance Art. Ten internationally renowned live works, two evenings of open performances for everyone at Fortezza Vecchia.

The project has two complementary sections: IMPORT and EXPORT. IMPORT is a kaleidoscopic event, two days of Performance Art that, on Friday, September 22nd, and Saturday, September 23rd, starting from 6:00 pm, will transform the space of Fortezza Vecchia with new perspectives, thanks to the live works of 10 artists from various countries who will give voice to the present through performances that reflect on the major themes of this millennium: Environment, Women, Motherhood, Rights, and Freedom. EXPORT is the programming of workshops, symposiums, and free activities that will take place from September 18th to 23rd in various locations in Livorno with artists and curators. This creates a dialogue that enriches the research of the artists, generating content for new performances, so that each event is not isolated but connected in a community that is constantly growing and evolving. The topics covered include performative language, documentation and narration of performance, use of music, and creative process with Pietro Gaglianò, Federica Coseschi, Ivana Ranisavljević, Alireza Ostovar. Every evening from September 19th to 21st at 10:00 pm, Carico Massimo in Afterhours provides a meeting space within FRASCA, the convivial spin-off of the association that opens to the international and local community to continue the exchange and sharing of experiences.

IMPORT/EXPORT is a transnational project based on practice, which ignites cultural exchange with new communities through live art works and encourages strong international partnerships. From these experiences, a curatorial manual will be created, which will be published and distributed at the end of this first phase of the project (2026).

As for the IMPORT program, the two-day Performance Art event hosts 10 artists who adapt their live works to the space of Fortezza Vecchia. One of them is Danaï Galeou and Darius Bogdanowicz from Greece/Spain and Belgium, with their participatory game “Gold Diggers,” where participants chase the setting sun, observing it from various perspectives until it disappears behind the Port of Livorno.

Among the other artists, we have Alireza Ostovar from Iran in “Picture of Resistance,” a series of performances dedicated to all oppressed Iranian women fighting for freedom of speech, opinion, expression, and the right to dress (hijab). Aleksander Zain from Serbia in “Acta Distantiae 2.18,” reflecting on the theme of the road, going and staying, in dialogue between art form and space/time, starting from the pre-calculated walking time from Venice to Livorno by Google Maps. Rascal Black from Poland in “Skeleton of Life,” which focuses on reusing waste and giving it new life, inspired by fashion designer Alexander McQueen and Marina Abramović’s performance “Rhythm 0,” giving the audience the opportunity to choose and compose their own outfits using local waste found in the Livorno area.

RILABEN, an Italian artist residing in Berlin, presents “Fallen Bird,” a symbolic performance about falling and control, a sub-theme of the entire communication campaign of IMPORT/EXPORT. Positioned in various points of Fortezza