Chiara Fumai (1978–2017) was an Italian performance artist.[3]
Chiara Fumai
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| Born | 1978[1]
Rome, Italy
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| Died | 16 August 2017 (aged 39)[2]
Bari, Italy
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| Nationality | Italian |
| Other names | Nico Fumai |
| Occupation | performance artist |
| Known for | performance art |
Born in Rome, Fumai graduated in architecture from Polytechnic University of Milan, and had her breakout in 2013, winning Furla Prize with a performance based on a work by Valerie Solanas.[2] She took part in documenta (13) and held performances at MAXXI, Galerie nationale du Jeu de Paume and Fondazione Bevilacqua La Masa [it], among other places.[2] In 2016 she won the Premio New York.[2]
Fumai in her performance practice centered her artistic focus on the role of women. Her approach involved a combination of deconstruction methods, exploration of freak shows, engagement with metaphysics, transvestism, and DJ sets. This analysis was conducted through an anarcho-feminist lens, also in relation to the art system[4].She also exhibited under the pseudonym Nico Fumai, a fictitious character inspired by her father[5] In 2019 her works were exhibited in the Italian Pavilion on the occasion of the 58th International Art Exhibition of the Venice Biennale.[6] Her work was the subject of a solo show at the Centre d’Art Contemporain Genève in 2020.[7]
Chiara Fumai committed suicide on 16 August 2017, at the age of 39.[2]
Her archives are held in the Castello di Rivoli in Turin.[8] In 2023, the gardens of Piazza Eroi del Mare in Bari have been named after the artist.[9]