Marianna Simnett

Circus, 2026

Marianna Simnett, Circus, installation view, Secession 2026. Courtesy of the artist and Société, Berlin. Photo: Sophie Pölzl

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Circus, Secession, Vienna, Austria
6th March - 31st May 2026

Circus, is a multimedia exhibition comprising light, sound, and sculptural works that draw the artists Yugoslav heritage. Personal references, including a work that was inspired by her Jewish-Croatian grandfather’s experience during the Holocaust, intersect with nods to folkloric bogeywomen, who may interchangeably figure as threat or ally, and the traditional Balkan skirt that stages the delicate play of revealing and concealing intimate body parts. The show’s Circus theme manifests itself in a variety of ways throughout the presentation: in the maniacal spinning of a skirt overhead, alluding to a circus tent; in a stage for a performance; in the sound of torturous laughter; or in dazzling lights illuminating a darkened space.

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