La Ribot
La Ribot, born Maria Ribot in Madrid in 1962, is a choreographer, performer and visual artist.
Her performances, installations and films are all inspired by her practice as a dancer and choreographer. These make a theme of the manifold complexities of the subject and introduce objects into the unity of time and space: discursive rigour is followed by surprising humour, the delicate and the monstrous exist side by side, comedy suddenly becomes threatening. All the while La Ribot focuses attention and narrative on the human body, not as an object of desire but as a sculptural form of expression. In her legendary performance Laughing Hole she transferred her choreographic thinking into the White Cube, where the direct corporeal presence of the performers created a situation where the audience became increasingly aware of themselves as actors.
Based in London in 1997 to 2004 she joins the British Live Art scene and organizes in Madrid Desviaciones (1997-2001), a festival which brings together during five years today’s most significant personalities in contemporary dance. Since 2004 La Ribot lives in Geneva (Switzerland) where she teaches at the HEAD – University of Art until 2008 and opens a new department dedicated to the living arts – Art/Action. She signs her first production in the flamboyant Madrid of the 80’s, Carita de Angel. In the 90´s she starts her famous Distinguished Pieces, a life-time and solitary project which takes form under different media, always questioning the concept of “live art” (performances, films, publications): Despliegue(2001), Panoramix (2003), Treinta y cuatro pièces distinguées & one striptease(2007).
Other projects, video-installations, films, performances are produced in collaboration with other artists: 40 espontáneos (2004 ), Hole (2006), the duet with Mathilde Monnier - Gustavia (2008), llámame mariachi (2009), the film Mariachi 17 and PARAdistinguidas(2011), as well as EEEXEEECUUUTIOOOONS(2012).
In 2012 the Museo Universitario arte contemporaneo, Mexico City devoted an extensive solo exhibition to the works of La Ribot. The in 2014 developed movie Escenarios del Cuerpo. La metamorphosis de Loie Fuller is a homage to the modern dance pioneer Loie Fuller.