IMPORT/EXPORT - publication presentation

Over the past three years, IMPORT/EXPORT has organised three international events in Livorno (2023), Berlin (2024) and Belgrade (2025). These events involved artists, curators, independent art spaces, as well as European cultural institutions and organisations in a collaborative research process exploring contemporary performance practices.

The handbook is aimed at artists, curators, cultural practitioners and anyone wishing to engage with performance art. It offers a mix of theoretical perspectives, practical tools and open-ended questions on key topics – such as the documentation of performances, the relationship between body and space, the mediation of performance practices, and new curatorial approaches.

Rather than providing definitive answers, the guide invites readers to understand performance art as a field of research, experimentation and dialogue. It can be read following the path suggested by the authors, or consulted specifically on particular topics, questions or concerns.

The event offers an opportunity for presentation and exchange; the aim is to share tools and experiences, as well as to explore new opportunities for collaboration.

IMPORT/EXPORT was developed by a collective of six international artists – Aleksander Zain, Tiina Lehtimäki, Sharon Estacio, Enrico L’Abbate, Darius Bogdanowicz and Maria Novella Tattanelli – in collaboration with mo-wan teatro, U10 Art Space and Flutgraben e.V. This was complemented by contributions from a curatorial team comprising Jovana Trifuljesko, Bojana Jovanović, Maja Petrović, Dunja Belić and Ana Simona Zelenović.