Marianna Simnett (1986, UK), lives in London.

This lecture is organised in collaboration with Frans Hals Museum, Haarlem

London-based artist Marianna Simnett is known for her multi-channel video installations, exploring our fears and phobias surrounding the human body. Her female protagonists are hybrid figures, altered by technology and contracting diseases and contaminate infections. Simnett: ‘I think it is impossible not to be worried about the state of living bodies today, with continual crises — from closing borders and migration control, to environmental disasters and climate change — making a sense of humour difficult to retain. But we need strong imaginations to carve out new avenues, ones where existence is not dependent upon the suffering of others.’ A trained musician, the influence of theatre and classical music on her work endured as she turned to film, installation and performance. Solo exhibitions include the forthcoming Kunsthalle Zürich (2019) as well as Copenhagen Contemporary (2019); FACT, Liverpool (2019); the New Museum, New York (2018); Museum für Moderne Kunst, Frankfurt (2018); Zabludowicz Collection, London (2018); Matt’s Gallery, London (2017); Seventeen Gallery, New York and London (2016) and Serpentine Pavilion (London, 2015). Simnett’s lecture will be followed by a conversation between the artist and Melanie Bühler, curator of her exhibition at Frans Hals Museum.

Frans Hals Museum in Haarlem will present Simnett’s solo show ‘My Broken Animal’ from November 16th, 2019, until February 23rd, 2020.

Image: The Bird Game (film still), 2019. Courtesy the artist, FVU, the Rothschild Foundation, and the Frans Hals Museum