The first Venice International Performance Art Week, titled “Hybrid Body-Poetic Body,” was conceived as a performance art project and exhibition event of a different kind: being not a festival, the innovative format consisted of an exhaustive exhibition of performance documentation through installations, photography and video, enriched by a dynamic program of durational performances, evening events, talks and meetings. Focusing on topics such as authenticity, interconnectivity, struggle, love, political and social habits and their relation to the Self, the exhibition showcased works of 31 international artists—some established and some emerging, all pioneers—to trace the still-vivid past and current tendencies in the field.

In the 30 rooms and two major halls of 17th century Venetian Palazzo Bembo, performances from mid-day until late-night allowed the numerous audiences to interact with the space and the artists in action, which contaminated and transformed the Palazzo through the course of the week, generating an art factory climate. Working in cooperation with cultural institutions, the project further promoted a series of workshops and seminars on performance art issues in Venice and abroad. For this first edition, students of the Academy of Fine Arts of Venice had been invited to present their works related to the topic, and an open fringe section for young international performers was inaugurated.

Exhibiting artists were chosen for works—live or documented—that used personal experiences to evoke life itself, the condition of existence, and which generated reflection in the ephemeral interspaces of the “here and now.” Since the artist’s own body was often a primary medium, the event had to step beyond conventional borders of exhibiting and presenting. Both artists and audience, engaging directly, became responsive to each other through a temporary common ground, making it possible to position themselves empathically: everything became matter, of process and presence.