Exhibitions
Alexandra Bachzetsis: From A to B via C
Sun Jan 11—Wed 14 2015
As part of the tenth edition of the COIL festival, Swiss Institute and Performance Space 122 present Swiss choreographer Alexandra Bachzetsis with the U.S. premiere of From A to B via C. Bachzetsis has been exploring the various provinces and domains of ‘mainstream’ popular culture – hip-hop, fashion, strip-tease, movies – and extracted the signature vignettes and ensemble pieces from it that have come to define her choreographic, performative practice.
Inspired by Diego Velázquez’s seminal rendition of Venus at her Mirror (1599-1600), From A to B via C opens with three bodies moving from and towards each other, acting as each other’s mirror image – mediated and unsynchronized. Complex scenes of nudity, gazing and instructional scores reflect on our common desire to communicate our own identity through the identities of others.
From A to B via C has unfolded in different versions and iterations this Fall -premiering in a proscenium theater at Kaserne Basel (Switzerland), online through Tate Museum’s BMW Tate Live video platform (England) and now through this gallery exhibition and installation with Swiss Institute and PS122. Between the different platforms on which the performance is presented, common spaces emerge.
From A to B via C is choreographed by Alexandra Bachzetsis and features performances by Bachzetsis, Anne Pajunen and Gabriel Schenker. The creative team also includes Hendrik Folkerts (research curator), Cosima Gadient (costume design), and Tobias Koch & Dan Solbach (sound design).
The performance will take place January 11 at 5pm and January 14 at 7pm at Swiss Institute. Media Installation: January 12 & 13 from 12-6pm
The event is free and open to the public during the above hours. For more information visit ps122.org or call 212.352.3101.
Alexandra Bachzetsis (born 1974 in Zurich) is an artist, choreographer, and performer based in Basel and Zurich. Her interdisciplinary background spans theatre, dance, and visual arts. She studied at Zürcher Kunstgymnasium, Dimitrischule in Verscio, and the STUK arts center in Leuven, later completing postgraduate studies at Das Arts in Amsterdam.
During her training, she began performing in contemporary dance contexts, collaborating with Sasha Waltz & Guests (Berlin) and Les Ballets C. de la B. (Ghent), working with Christine De Smedt and Koen Augustijnen. Since 2001, she has worked independently, producing and presenting her work in theatres and contemporary art venues worldwide.
Bachzetsis’s practice examines the intersections between popular culture and high art, focusing on how gestures and movements are shaped by social and media codes. Her choreography engages with commercial genres—such as TV, romantic comedy, and music videos—alongside ballet, modern dance, and performance art. She explores representations of gender, especially the female body in pop culture and the sex industry, using clichés of femininity and masculinity as material for a distinct choreographic language aimed at self-reflection and empowerment.
She has created and co-authored numerous works, including Perfect (2001), Show Dance (2004), Mainstream (2007), Bluff (2009), and A Piece Danced Alone (2011), among others. In 2007, she co-founded the collective Company with Lies Vanborm and Tina Bleuler.
Bachzetsis has received several awards, including the Migros Kulturprozent Jubilee Award (2007), Swiss Art Award (2011), and the Swiss Performance Prize (2012). Her work has been featured at the 5th Berlin Biennial, dOCUMENTA (13), Kunsthalle Basel, Kunsthaus Glarus, and institutions such as the Stedelijk Museum (Amsterdam), Fondation Beyeler (Riehen), and Serralves (Porto).
Performance Space 122 (PS122) provides incomparable experiences for audiences by presenting and commissioning artists whose work challenges boundaries of live performance. PS122 is dedicated to supporting the creative risks taken by artists from diverse genres, cultures and perspectives. We are an innovative local, national and international leader in contemporary performance.
Beginning in 2011, PS122 embarked on one of the most unusual and potentially radical shifts in its history, including a re-structuring of artist support, a business model overhaul, and the renovation of our building. As PS122’s East Village home undergoes a much-needed interior renovation supported primarily by the City of New York, DCA and DDC, PS122’s core activity continues to be providing audiences with contemporary live performance.
For over 3 decades, Performance Space 122 has been a hub for contemporary performance and an active member of the cultural community. Under the curatorial vision of Vallejo Gantner (Artistic Director 2005 – present) PS122 has developed a set of programs designed to re-establish the value of live performance, provide singular experiences for audiences that inspire critical thinking, and sustain the creative process for artists throughout their career. Largely in partnership with peer organizations, PS122 currently presents artists in all disciplines in spaces all over the city during an annual fall & spring season and COIL festival in January.
In addition to the commissioning and presenting of artists from NYC across the US, and around the globe, PS122 has increased our activity off the stage to provide audiences with a variety of access points and context for the work on stage. These activities include both talkbacks with the artists as well as in depth conversations that bring together luminaries from non-arts disciplines to discuss a variety of topics including everything from religion, to migration, to queer real estate and cultural diplomacy. PS122 encourages the asking of questions and debate of contemporary society’s issues in both artistic practice and audience experience.
From A to B via C is commissioned and developed in collaboration with Tate Modern, London, Biennale of Moving Images, Geneva and Fundatión Jumex Arte Contemporáneo, Mexico City. Co-produced with Kaserne Basel and Theaterhaus Gessnerallee, Zürich. Swiss Institute programming is made possible with public funds from Pro Helvetia, Swiss Arts Council. Swiss Institute gratefully acknowledges Kurimanzutto for their support.
