Work Body

Work Body by Michael Turinsky explores what it means to work today and which bodies are allowed to be seen. On stage, Turinsky himself, a physically disabled artist, shows how physical limitation, power, and social expectations intersect. 

Inspired by the Italian poet and filmmaker Pier Paolo Pasolini and Antonio Gramsci, co-founder of the Italian Communist Party who was also physically disabled, the work reflects on labor, class, masculinity, and solidarity. Turinsky examines desires for autonomy, connection, and political engagement, and how these relate to embodiment, vulnerability, and presence. 

Through singing, speaking, dancing, and building, Turinsky delivers a performance that breaks down the separation between mental and manual labor, as well as the boundaries between choreography, performance, and political intervention. The audience enters a space where strength, vulnerability, and visibility converge, inviting reflection on what it means to be truly seen. 

Highly sought after internationally and rarely available due to a busy touring schedule, Turinsky’s return to the festival marks a special opportunity to experience this urgent, energetic and politically charged performance live.