A Study On Waitressing by Eleonora Agostini at Fonderia 20.9

Curated by Rocco Venezia, the exhibition delves into the complexities of existing in a social situation—interacting, performing, and balancing individuality with societal roles, blurring the boundaries between the real and the staged.

Overview

A Study On Waitressing looks at the phenomena of self-representation, by questioning the fictionalised image of the waitressing woman through the metaphor of theatre and the three dimensions that define it: the stage, the backstage and the performative.

The work presents itself as a collection of photographs, archival images, collages, moving images and texts where each work responds to notions around photography, visibility, process and performativity.

The relationship between the image and performativity is investigated through the figure of Agostini’s mother, her postures, movements, and behaviours during her job as a waitress. The restaurant becomes the space where the body acts as a connector between the observer and the observed.

A Study On Waitressing explores the different layers and meanings of existing within a social situation, engaging in face-to-face interactions, and playing a character that moves between individuality and social structures and exists between the real and the staged.