“怀旧 — Holding the Past”
Xie Rong performs in Athens for the first time
A performance of embodied memory and musical improvisation
FIAT
Friday, February 6 | 21:30
Faithful to its commitment to interdisciplinary dialogue within contemporary performing arts, the Movement Research Project presents for the first time in Athens the internationally acclaimed performance artist Xie Rong, with the performance “怀旧 — Holding the Past”, curated by Maria Lappa, on Friday, February 6 at FIAT.
Through the use of clay and ink—two materials with deep historical and traditional roots in both Greece and China—Xie Rong creates a live artwork on stage, produced in real time.
Drawing inspiration from the concept of “Nostos” and its significance in Greek and Chinese semiotics, the artist develops a multilayered, intercultural stage dialogue. Using her body as the primary medium and combining practices such as Chinese calligraphy, painting, storytelling, and singing, she meets on stage for the first time two leading Greek figures of musical improvisation, Thymios Atzakas and Thodoris Ziarkas.
In a dialogical relationship with the performative action, the live improvised musical composition acts as a bridge between the two cultural reference worlds, shaping a shared audiovisual landscape.
About Xie Rong
Born in Chengdu, China, and based in the United Kingdom since a young age, Xie Rong works as a director, performer, and filmmaker, collecting voices, memories, images, and materials drawn from her cultural roots and everyday experience.
Her work has been presented in major European museums and has toured internationally across Asia, the Americas, and Australia. She was selected to open Yoko Ono’s retrospective exhibition in Germany, performing the iconic work Cut Piece in a gesture of intergenerational transmission and artistic dialogue.
Her work is included in public collections such as the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, the Crow Museum (Texas), The Ned, Soho House, and Kensington Palace, as well as numerous private collections. Her distinctions include the Aesthetica Art Prize (2014) and the Chinese Arts Now Scratch Award (2019), while in 2022 she was shortlisted for the Mother Art Prize.
Workshop
As part of her visit to Athens, Xie Rong will also lead an experiential workshop based on her artistic practice on Saturday 07.02 and Sunday 08.02 at REVMA Art Space.
Information & registration:
Movement Research Project
The performance is part of the multi-thematic program Movement Research Project 2025–26
“The Artist as a Citizen & Cultural Mediator”,
and is held under the auspices and financial support of the Hellenic Ministry of Culture.
CREDITS
Direction & Performance: Xie Rong
Artistic Curation: Maria Lappa
Live Original Music Composition: Thymios Atzakas – Thodoris Ziarkas
Graphic Design: MOST design
Documentation – Photography: Giorgos Stavrianakis
Artist Photography: Jamie Baker
Production: MoRe 64 AMKE
Reservations & Info:
+30 698 793 3045 (WhatsApp – Viber – mobile)
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
ΦΙΑΤ, Φαλήρου 97, Αθήνα 117 41, Ελλάδα, Athens, Greece
