Federica Dauri is a performance artist, choreographer, and visual artist.
She was born and raised in Rome and later moved to Berlin in 2014 after studying and working in New York and Amsterdam from 2009 onwards. After training in classical and contemporary dance and choreographic composition at the National Academy of Dance in Rome, she broadened her horizons by studying Butoh dance and Eurythmy, learning from masters such as Masaki Iwana and Akira Kasai. In 2009, she received a scholarship to study with choreographer Trisha Brown in New York. Her artistic exploration spans a wide range of mediums, including performance art, particularly long-durational performances, as well as installations, mixed media works and dance. She has curated and directed performances and installations for galleries, museums, theatres, festivals and artistic residencies in Europe and the United States. Since 2016, Dauri has collaborated as a performer with Canadian artist and producer Peaches. In 2022-2023, on a world tour. Since 2023, she has collaborated with Ron Athey, working on the “Darkness Visible” workshop.
ARTISTIC PRACTICE
My artistic practice embraces various forms, from long-duration performances to installations, mixed-media works, and dance performances. In my artistic journey, I explore corporeality, digging deeply into the intimate essence of the human body. My goal is to explore the body, transcending the conventional boundaries of movement and expression, to venture into uncharted territories, revealing layers of emotions, memories and subconscious impulses that reside within it. Through the practice of Butoh, I have learned to embrace the bodily experience as a repository of emotions and memories, exploring the depths of the physical form and its inherent narratives. My choreographic approach emerges from careful listening to the subtle whispers of the body, a dedication to revealing the intricate details of the internal microcosm. A significant aspect of my artistic practice concerns long-duration performance. This immersive process focuses on exploring stillness and integrating my body within confined spaces or sculptures or the surrounding environment. Through this practice, I delve into various dimensions – presence, introspection and vulnerability – pushing beyond the boundaries of physical and mental resistance while embracing the nuanced sensitivity of the corporeal self.
I try to centralise the body in my art, not only in its presentation or actions but, above all, in its exploration of identity. My goal is to bring subjectivity and identity to light, not confined simply within the physical body but also in the imaginative realms they evoke. For me, the body means an intimate and tangible reality: a living, breathing entity that embodies mobility and immobility, sensitivity and resilience. A body in continuous transformation, which delves into the unexplored, the enigmatic and the elusive. It is within these areas that my performances redefine emotions and actions.