Writer / Performer (Venice, Italy)
Cristiana Moldi Ravenna’s poetical research is concerned with “the possibilities of a change”. Repeating the sounds from the first line to the second one of a poem, down to the last word, in an infinite chain of similar words, something differ and change, giving origin to new modifications of sense and meaning.
Neologisms like Perseduzione (it may mean “iper-seduction or “because of seduction” according to the reader’s feeling) witness the complete ‘authority’ of the author. The structure of her books is like that: on the right page she writes a dialogue and on the left page a poem, so a dialogue has to follow some rules to let people understand your ideas, while poetry can be expressed with a very synthetic language. So the reader is allowed to follow the different feelings and emotional situations that sometimes need poetry to be expressed and sometimes need a dialogue.
In 1996 after publishing Primo Grillo Secondo Grillo (First Cricket Second Cricket) Andrea Zanzotto wrote to her “I hope you will find somebody who wants really to understand you” it was a good omen as she won the first prize of the national competition “Theatre and Science” and the jury composed by the philosophers and directors Giorello, Gregori, Quadri, Ronfani, Roboni, Sequi, gave the following motivation to her prize: “the jury appreciated particularly the phone – mathematic score made up of visual suggestions together with the experimental writing that has the specific function of questioning itself on a possible theatre of poetry going to the extreme debate on the sense itself of poetry”. Gianni De Luigi always supports her work and presented and performed it many times on different occasions with his students.
Books and performances
1978 Genesi continua, Cluec, Venice; book and performance, Nuovo Spazio Art Gallery, Venice
1984 Some Contradictory Aspects; book-essay on the work of the graphic designer Aubrey Beardsley
1985 Portrait of the Artist Computer art in Venice, Exhibition New York University in Venice
1979 Uterus Heart and Mind, book and performance, La Chiocciola Art Gallery, Padova
1982 Polaroids: Working with an Image Biennale of Bilbao
1988 Perseduzione, book, performance and video
1996 Primo Grillo Secondo Grillo (First Cricket Second Cricket) Supernova, book and performance; winner of the first prize “Theatre and Sciente”.
1998 Primo Giardino Parlante (First Talking Garden) Supernova, book and performance,The Talking Labyrinth; book and performance
Perfect Labyrinth; book and performance
Without Labyrinth; book and performance
2000 Helen and the War, Supernova, Venice, performance and book
2005 Cadeau (Present) performance video at Studio Tommaseo-Trieste Contemporanea. exhibition-performance
In this exhibition, by means of a game, like bingo, CMR explained her work to the public
2005 Fragments exhibition and reading of poems at Ai Miracoli Gallery
Exhibitions and books on urban signs
From 1979 to 1984 she had exhibitions with Guido Sartorelli on town design
Rome and Geneva, Modena, Rome, Ferrara
In the Sign of Modena, Modena
Inside the Forms of a Town, Galleria del Cavallino, Venice; Rome, Warsaw
Semiopolis, Venice
Graz Zeichen Einer Stadt, Am Landesmuseum, Graz
City as Means of Publicity, Venice
City as Means of Communication, University of Siena
Metamorphoses, (Gianni De Luigi’s idea)
All the exhibitions had always a catalogue with original texts.
In 1987 she developed a section of computer art in Graz for Arge Alpe Adria where the public could give origin to a new Central Square on a computer, assembling the town signs of Venice and Graz.
2006 August NYU at IUAV lecture How to perform a performance
2008 June – 2009 January, exhibition
‘Viaggio in Italia’ at Landesmuseum Graz
2009 Canti del Risveglio, a book of poems, Supernova.
Books and Articles of Art
1989 Secret Gardens of Venice, photos by Gianni Berengo Gardin
researches and texts by Cristiana Moldi Ravenna, Tudy Sammartini
Arsenale Editrice Venice, 1989 (2001 5th edition)
Artelaguna ‘95, directed by Simonetta Gorreri
Centenario de La Biennale di Venezia, Marsilio
1996 The colours of light, Marsilio, Venice
1998 Miniature, poetic transcription into Italian of the poems written by Socrat Janovic, Edizioni del Cavallino, Venezia
2005 ‘The light beyond the surface, essay on Mario Deluigi, ‘Yacht in Venice’
2006 Spatialism in Venice essay on Carlo Cardazzo,‘Yacht in Venice’
She writes for Nexus magazine.
Poetry for Music
Since 2002 she has been working with the composer Janusz Podrazik.
2002 ‘Primo secondo terzo accordo’ performance, music and poetry, movie by Janusz Podrazik
2003 ‘Appello alla nazione’ music and poetry, Biennale of Venice, with Alfredo Pirri and Franco Jesurun
2005 ‘Kritiken Nostalgia’ for la Groggia Theatre, Venice, new themes for poetry and music.
