Music by Marta Del Grandi and Federica Furlani

Movement and dance study by Camilla Monga

Images and animation by Cecilia Valagussa

With the contribution of the Ministry of Culture, Emilia-Romagna Region, Municipality of Bologna

2024

Mata Hari is a project born from the collaboration between four young Italian artists and the meeting of their sensibilities and artistic disciplines. Combining the collaboration of Marta Del Grandi and Cecilia Valagussa in Fossick Project and the long-lasting artistic partnership between Camilla Monga and Federica Furlani, this multidisciplinary group was born in which each puts her strong identity at the service of storytelling and beauty.
The project takes inspiration from the book ‘Colore Inferno’ by Cecilia Valagussa and Ariel Macchi, a graphic novel in which nine artists who lost their lives during World War I are narrated. The only female presence among them is the dancer Mata Hari, a pioneering and enigmatic figure, as unique and innovative as she is little celebrated in history books and in common memory. Mata Hari, born Margaretha Geertruida Zelle (1876-1917), is a woman of the late 19th century who represents cosmopolitanism, emancipation, and freedom of expression through her life, anticipating by half a century the social-political discourses on these issues. In an absolutely courageous way for her time, she manages to create for herself an identity and a voice as an artist and as a woman that will give her the opportunity to live an extraordinary life. Her story is an intricate fabric of exoticism, passion, and mystery; an almost cinematic weave of travel, meetings, success, and international espionage. The fascination that surrounds her character is particularly fueled by a subtle balance between reality and fiction, which characterizes her life and career.
With this performance, Del Grandi/Furlani/Monga/Valagussa want to pay tribute to this revolutionary artist and contribute to the rediscovery of her memory and her artistic and socio-historical value. The four artists are authors and performers of the show and all appear on stage to represent the many facets of Mata Hari. Dance, music and image embody different aspects of her complex personality, creating a multifaceted portrait that highlights the essence of this iconic figure in a sensory and engaging way.