Two people in one body. Between art and life of Fiore de Henriquez // Workshop with Marta Bogdańska

The artistic workshop, led by Polish visual artist, photographer and filmmaker Marta Bogdańska, will circulate around the life and work of Fiore de Henriquez (1921-2004) who was an Italian-British sculptor. This workshop, based on Bogdańska’s previous work, will investigate the need and ways to portray queer biographies, and understand our present through learning from the past. We want to see how histories such as Fiore’s can be told with sensitivity and honesty, and how to bring them into the spotlight.

De Henriquez was born in Trieste. After the Second World War she moved to the UK but she would come back to Italy a lot. In 1966, she purchased the ruinous hamlet of Peralta in Tuscany, and spent much time on its restoration as an artists’ colony.

De Henriquez was born intersex with ambiguous genitalia, and declared herself “proud to be hermaphrodite”.De Henriquez’s gender identity informed much of her work, with its recurring motifs of paired heads, conjoined figures, and ambiguous mythological creatures. From the early 1960s, her friendship with cubist sculptor Jacques Lipchitz encouraged her to experiment with looser forms.

In this two-day workshop we will visit Fiore de Henriquez house in Peralta, walk in her footsteps, examine archival material and create our own work inspired by her art, life and the location of Peralta and Lucca.

The Outcome of the group work is envisioned as a digital Newspaper gathering various materials and artworks produced during the workshop, which will be promoted on the Photolux website and will be sent to the participants.

We encourage you to bring your cell phones, cameras and sound recorders, and come with an open mind and creative energy. You can draw, take pictures, build objects, interview people as well as write texts and poems.

If you are interested in taking part in this workshop or for any further information, please send an email to workshopfiorephotoluxgmail.com by May 15th, 2022. More information can be found on the website: http://www.photoluxfestival.it/en/two-people-in-one-body-between-art-and-life-of-fiore-de-henriquez/

Artistic Direction: Marta Bogdańska
Organizing and Scientific Direction: Linda Bertelli, Agnese Ghezzi, Chiara Ruberti