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Corpoema

Corpoema is a series of performances, research projects, and artistic experiments created by Beatriz Provasi, exploring the connection between body ("corpo" in Portuguese) and poem ("poema"). 

The integration of spoken word and body writing is the hallmark of this collection of performances.

Performance Body-Book, by Aline Vargas and Beatriz Provasi; Photo: Betho Guedes
Photo Shoot All These Dogs Barking in the Chest (2012), by Beatriz Provasi; Photo: Vitor Vogel

This series originates from a contemplation on the body's presence as an essential element of spoken word poetry. The starting point was a photo shoot in 2009, through which the author integrates her body into the composition of her poetry book Esfinge (Sphinx) (2010).

This work evolves through various forms including performances, body art, relational art, photo shoots, books, videos, video mapping, and exhibitions. Provasi's research also culminated in her poetry book, Todos Esses Cães Latindo no Peito (All These Dogs Barking in the Chest) (2012), and her master’s thesis, Meu Corpo como Livro (My Body as a Book) (Master of Visual Arts, UFRJ, 2014).

Performance A Good Poet is a Dead Poet - The Disruption Passes, the Work Remains (2011), by Beatriz Provasi

All Works in the Corpoema Series

Performance Corpoemacocoré... (DK, 2021)

Exhibition Corpoema (BR, 2018-2019)

Performance Corpo Livro(e) (BR, 2011-2018)

Performance Frames or The Limit is the Body - Experiences No. 1, 2, 3, and 4 (BR, 2011-2013; DE, 2017)

Exhibition All These Dogs Barking in the Chest (BR, 2012-2014)

Performance Occupy Heart (BR, 2014)

Performance My Body as a Book: Master's Thesis Defense (BR, 2014)

Performance Book Signing Night (BR, 2013)

Performance Manual for Undisciplined Poets - Exercises No. 1, 2, and 3 (BR, 2012-2013)

Video Mapping My Body as a Book (BR, 2012)

Photo Shoot and Book All These Dogs Barking in the Chest (BR, 2012)

Performance Words on the Canvas' Edge (BR, 2012)

Perf. A Good Poet is a Dead Poet - The Disruption Passes, the Work Remains - Exp. No. 1 and 2 (BR, 2011)

Performance Body-Book (BR, 2010)

Performance Sphinx (BR, 2010)

Photo Shoot and Book Sphinx (BR, 2009)

Corpoemacocoré... (DK, 2021)

Performance Corpoemacocoré... (2021), by performer Beatriz Provasi

Solo Performance
Event: Inter Acts, Never Interviews, Instagram and Zoom of the Acocoré collective
Copenhagen, Denmark

The performance Corpoemacocoré... (2021) was born at the invitation of the group Acocoré - Arte, Coletivos, Conexões e Redes (Art, Collectives, Connections, and Networks) for performer Beatriz Provasi to create a live stream on the group's Instagram profile as part of the project Inter Acts, Never Interviews, where performers from the collective present their individual works.

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Provasi begins the live stream nude, leading to the account being blocked within seconds. Consequently, the performer and the audience reconnect through Zoom, where the performance gains even more interactivity than anticipated and incorporates protests against the censorship of bodies on social media. Provasi writes on her body words spoken by participants throughout the encounter, creating a collective body poem.

​After the performance, Provasi transcribes the words from her body:

​what happened?
who knows
stickers
who is Roberta
smoke flower
we want nipples
show the pea
harvest
tchuco tchuco
nipple
where?
where?
Japan and terreiro
nipfest
love it
show yours
back
butt
lives
go
eating flower is delicious!
marijuana

has anyone masturbated?
no more censorship
I free
vertigo
fragmentation
freedom – what?
layers
the question
just the tip
contradictions
butt is okay
square circle
no limits
obscure theme
path of the shell
has it started?
smells good
indeed!
alive?
here?
acocoré
corpoemACOCORÉcorPOEMAcocorÉcorpo...

Performance Corpoemacocoré... (2021), by performer Beatriz Provasi

Corpoema (BR, 2018-2019)

Solo Exhibition
Performance by Beatriz Provasi photographed by Pierre Crapez
Events: 8th Interculturalities: Body and Potentials of Living, UFF Arts Center (November 5 to 18, 2018), and Rock and Go, Hanói Studio (May 4, 2019)
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Exhibition Corpoema (2018-2019), by Beatriz Provasi and Pierre Crapez
Exhibition Corpoema (2018-2019), by Beatriz Provasi and Pierre Crapez

The exhibition Corpoema (2018-2019) was organized following an invitation from the organizers of the 8th Interculturalities: Body and Potentials of Living event. The photographer, artist, and professor Pierre Crapez was invited to occupy one of the galleries at the UFF Arts Center. Crapez then invited the performer and poet Beatriz Provasi to select and present together photos from her photo shoot for the poetry book Todos Esses Cães Latindo no Peito (All These Dogs Barking in the Chest) (2014).

A second exhibition featuring the same works was held at Hanói Studio during the farewell party for the performer on the eve of her move to Denmark, and included a performative auction presented by Bayard Tonelli.

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​The title Corpoema is a play on words, where a "poema" (poem) is an extension of the "corpo" (body).

Exhibition Corpoema (2018-2019), by Beatriz Provasi and Pierre Crapez

Corpo Livro(e) (BR, 2011-2018)

Performance Corpo Livro(e) (2011), by Beatriz Provasi; Photo: Línox

Solo Performance

Collaborations: Group Atrizes ou..., Group Ratos di Versos, participants of the show Me Gustan Las Possibilidades, and the audience of Sarau Erótico Yopará
Photos: André Shackleton Prem Agnideva, Línox, Marisa Vieira, and Tuna Mayer
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

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Corpo Livro(e) (2011-2018) is a play on words where "corpo" (body) becomes a "livro" (book) while also being "livre" (free).

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In this performance, performer Beatriz Provasi participates as a guest at an event to recite poetry. However, besides reciting her verses, the performer engages collaborators to write words on her body during the recital.

 

This action, perhaps the most straightforward of the Corpoema series, concentrates on the essentials: presence, poetic speech, and writing on the body, performed several times with slight variations.

The first presentation of the performance Corpo Livro(e) (2011) takes place on the stage of CEP 20.000 - Centro de Experimentação Poética (Poetic Experimentation Center) and features collaboration with the group Ratos di Versos, represented by Alice Souto, Daniel Soares, and Dudu Pererê. Performer Beatriz Provasi removes her blouse and reads a poem with her back to the audience while her partners write on her back.

Performance Corpo Livro(e) (2011), by Beatriz Provasi; Photo: Línox
Performance Corpo Livro(e) (2013), by Beatriz Provasi; Photo: Tuna Mayer

The second presentation of the performance Corpo Livro(e) (2013) occurs during the show Me Gustan Las Possibilidades, where performer Beatriz Provasi is a special guest alongside Letícia Novaes, Línox, Pedro Rocha, Roberta Ditz, Roberto Pontes, and Shala Andirá. At a certain moment in the show, the performer removes her blouse and offers her body for her fellow performers to write on.

The third presentation of the performance Corpo Livro(e) (2016), at Sarau Erótico Yopará, begins with performer Beatriz Provasi initiating the action offstage. First, she undresses in a corner and begins to softly recite a series of poems while providing markers for the audience to write on her body. Once her body is fully covered in writing, she takes the stage and asks audience volunteers to select words from her body, from which she recalls the poems and repeats them into the microphone.

Performance Corpo Livro(e) (2016), by Beatriz Provasi; Photo: André Shackleton Prem Agnideva
Performance Corpo Livro(e) (2018), by Beatriz Provasi; Photo: Marisa Vieira

The fourth presentation of the performance Corpo Livro(e) (2018) sees performer Beatriz Provasi taking the stage as a guest at the CENA event, where she begins reciting a series of her own poems. Her partners from the group Atrizes ou..., Brenda Lua and Letícia Gelabert, collaborate in this presentation by undressing her and writing words on her body, drawn from fragments of the recited poems.

Frames or The Limit is the Body - Experiences No. 1, 2, 3, and 4 (BR, 2011-2013; DE, 2017)

Solo Performance
Collaborations: Fernando Klipel, Tamara Menezes, and Zmário
Photos: Alex Simões, Isabela Lemos, Maysa Britto, Vitor Vogel, Zmário, and Beatriz Provasi
Rio de Janeiro and Salvador, Brazil; Berlin, Germany

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The performance Frames or The Limit is the Body (2011-2017) by Beatriz Provasi engages with the spoken and written presentation of her own poetry, where the writing begins on the body and expands onto the canvas. The writing space on the canvas is always limited by the outline of the performer’s body, creating a silhouette of a body made of words on the canvas. Four experiences were carried out, each centered on this interplay between writing inside and outside the body and the canvas, each with its own specifics.

Performance Frames or The Limit is the Body - Exp. No. 1 (2011), by Beatriz Provasi; Photo: Vitor Vogel

In Experience No. 1 (2011), presented during the Corujão da Poesia event at Bar Conversa Fiada in Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, performer Beatriz Provasi starts by reading a prose poetry of her own creation while her partner, Fernando Klipel, undresses her and writes on her body. At the end of the reading, Provasi presses her body against a large canvas hung on the wall so that her partner can trace the outline with white chalk. She then begins to write on the canvas within the body’s outline, as the poetry event continues with other invited poets on stage. Finally, the performer invites the audience to write as well, until a silhouette of words is formed.

In Experience No. 2 (2011), presented in the foyer of the School of Fine Arts at UFRJ, performer Beatriz Provasi lies naked on a canvas on the floor, with pens scattered around, and recites her own poems. The audience is invited to use the pens to write on the canvas or on her body. However, the action is interrupted due to the institution's request for authorization. The performer then dresses and creates a protest poem on the canvas.

In Experience No. 3 (2013), held for the opening of the Poeformances exhibition at Galeria ACBEU in Salvador, performer Beatriz Provasi recites a series of her poems. She then positions herself against the wall, and her body outline is traced on it with the help of Zmário. Finally, she writes the same spoken poems within the outline of her body on the wall.

In Experience No. 4 (2017), presented as part of the group exhibition Just Another Art for Life Experience at Badstraße 33A studio in Berlin, performer Beatriz Provasi’s body outline is traced on the wall with the assistance of Tamara Menezes. She then writes her "Berlin Diary" within it, including passages in Portuguese, English, and German. Documentation of the group exhibition Just Another Art for Life Experience can be found at http://www.betakontext.de/WOHNZIMMER/Set8.html.

All These Dogs Barking in the Chest (BR, 2012-2014)

Solo Exhibition
Performance by Beatriz Provasi photographed by Vitor Vogel

Photos: Vitor Vogel and Syl Dietrich
Events: Arte Jovem Brasileira at the Convés space and Pizzarau at La Carmelita
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Exhibition All These Dogs Barking in the Chest (BR, 2012), by Beatriz Provasi and Vitor Vogel
Exhibition All These Dogs Barking in the Chest (BR, 2014), by Beatriz Provasi and Vitor Vogel

The exhibition All These Dogs Barking in the Chest (BR, 2012-2014) was first held at the invitation of the organizers of the Arte Jovem Brasileira (Brazilian Youth Art) event at the Convés space.

 

Photographer Vitor Vogel selected and exhibited several photos from the photo shoot with performer Beatriz Provasi for her poetry book Todos Esses Cães Latindo no Peito (All These Dogs Barking in the Chest) (2012).

 

A second exhibition with the same material later took place at the Pizzarau event at La Carmelita.

Occupy Heart (BR, 2014)

Collective Performance
By Aline Vargas and Beatriz Provasi
Photos: Cynthia Dorneles
Filming: João Arthur Soares
Events: Opening of the Movimento de Arte Pornô (Movement of Porn Art) exhibition at MAR – Museu de Arte do Rio, and Book Launch of As Guerras nos Porta-retratos (The Wars in the Picture Frames) (2014) at Estúdio Hanói and Hussardos Clube Literário
Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, Brazil

In the performance Occupy Heart (2014), performers Aline Vargas and Beatriz Provasi undress and write on each other's bodies while alternating between reciting Provasi's poems from the Ocupa Coração (Occupy Heart) series, featured in the book As Guerras nos Porta-retratos (The Wars in the Picture Frames) (2014), and performing Vargas's original songs. At the end, with their bodies filled with words, the performers tie black shirts around their faces in a black bloc style.​

This performance was presented three times with slight variations. First, at the opening of the Movimento de Arte Pornô (Movement of Porn Art) exhibition, part of the Josephine Baker and Le Corbusier in Rio – A Transatlantic Affair exhibition at MAR – Museu de Arte do Rio. Then, at the book launch of As Guerras nos Porta-retratos (2014) at Estúdio Hanói in Rio de Janeiro, and at Hussardos Clube Literário in São Paulo.

My Body as a Book: Master's Thesis Defense (BR, 2014)

Performance My Body as a Book: Master's Thesis Defense (2014), by Beatriz Provasi; Photo: Júlio Diniz

Solo Performance
Collaboration: Aline Vargas
Photo: Júlio Diniz
Event: Master's Thesis Defense in Visual Arts, School of Fine Arts at UFRJ
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

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In the performance My Body as a Book: Master's Thesis Defense (2014), performer Beatriz Provasi defends her master's thesis without a shirt, with the title of the work, Meu Corpo como Livro (My Body as a Book), written on her chest. After the oral presentation of her research, Provasi finishes undressing and reads some of the more poetic excerpts from her thesis while her partner Aline Vargas writes on her body. She then ties a black shirt around her face in a black bloc style and remains that way until the end of the committee's questioning.

Book Signing Night (BR, 2013)

Performance Book Signing Night (2013), by Beatriz Provasi; Photo: Alex Topini

Solo Performance
Photos: Alex Topini and Gabi Nogueira
Locations: Performance, Body, Politics Symposium at the Casa de Cultura da América Latina, and a bar in Lapa
Brasília and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

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In the performance Book Signing Night (2013), performer Beatriz Provasi announces the book signing for her poetry book Todos Esses Cães Latindo no Peito (All These Dogs Barking in the Chest) (2012) in Brasília during the Performance, Body, Politics Symposium, offering to sell "books with dedications". However, when people buy the book and bring it to the author for signing, they are surprised by a reinterpretation of the proposal: they are the ones who must write their dedications on the author's body.

This performance was repeated later in Rio de Janeiro, when Provasi distributed copies of her book to a group of friends in a bar in Lapa. Upon requests for dedications, instead of signing the books, Provasi offered a marker and her own body as the medium for each person to write their dedication.

Manual for Undisciplined Poets - Exercises No. 1, 2, and 3 (BR, 2012-2013)

Performance Manual for Undisciplined Poets - Exercises No. 1 (2012), by Beatriz Provasi; Photo: Maria Alice Poppe

Solo Performance
Collaboration: Master's Class in Visual Arts at UFRJ, Poets of CEP 20.000 - Centro de Experimentação Poética (Center for Poetic Experimentation), and Corpos Informáticos Group
Photos: Adiron Marcos, Corpos Informáticos Group, and Maria Alice Poppe
Locations: Bar Cabidinho, Bar Águia dos Andes, and Performance, Body, Politics Symposium at the Casa de Cultura da América Latina
Rio de Janeiro and Brasília, Brazil

In the performance Manual for Undisciplined Poets (2012-2013), poet and performer Beatriz Provasi proposes a game to be performed in informal settings such as bars.

 

The game begins when a participant writes a word on her body. Based on that word, Provasi creates a poem on scrap paper, usually bar napkins. Then, she reads the poem aloud, and if a participant likes it, they keep the paper and transcribe the poem onto the author's body.

 

The action repeats several times, and the poems can also be discarded. With slight variations, three experiments of this series were conducted.

Performance Manual for Undisciplined Poets - Exercises No. 2 (2012), by Beatriz Provasi; Photo: Adiron Marcos
Performance Manual for Undisciplined Poets - Exercises No. 3 (2013), by Beatriz Provasi; Photo: Corpos Informáticos

Exercise No. 1 (2012) was part of the author's master's research, in collaboration with her Visual Arts master's class at UFRJ, with participants including Aline Teixeira, Claudia Bakker, Daphne Madeira, Flavia Acker, Flavia Meireles, Giselle Ruiz, José Geraldo Furtado, and Maria Alice Poppe. Provasi begins by leaving the classroom environment and taking the class to Bar Cabidinho in Botafogo, where she proposes the action.

 

Exercise No. 2 (2012) took place with a group of poets gathered at Bar Águia do Andes in Botafogo, following their participation in the CEP 20.000 - Centro de Experimentação Poética (Center for Poetic Experimentation) event.

 

Exercise No. 3 (2013) occurred during the Performance, Body, Politics Symposium at the Casa de Cultura da América Latina in Brasília, in collaboration with the Corpos Informáticos Group.

My Body as a Book (BR, 2012)

Video Mapping
Collaboration: Zé Felipe (editing) and Tavinho Paes (projection)
Event: Book launch party for Todos Esses Cães Latindo no Peito (All These Dogs Barking in the Chest) (2012) at Estúdio Hanói
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

 

My Body as a Book (2012) compiles footage and photographs from various performances in Beatriz Provasi’s Corpoema series into a specially edited video mapping projection. This was showcased during the launch party for her poetry book Todos Esses Cães Latindo no Peito (All These Dogs Barking in the Chest) (2012) at Estúdio Hanói. The projections covered the entire side of the building next to the studio, visible both from the party's balcony and the street.

Video Mapping My Body as a Book (2012), by Beatriz Provasi

All These Dogs Barking in the Chest (BR, 2012)

Photo Shoot and Book

Photos: Marcelo Valle, Pierre Crapez, and Vitor Vogel

Collaboration: Fernando Klipel

Filming: Crew of the film Alguns Gostam de Poesia (Some Like Poetry), dir. Manuelle Rosa

Photography Studio of UFF

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

All These Dogs Barking in the Chest (2012) is a photo shoot conducted by poet and performer Beatriz Provasi for her poetry book of the same name, with the collaboration of Fernando Klipel and photographers Marcelo Valle, Pierre Crapez, and Vitor Vogel.

 

The photos for the book are created from the body writing work that the author had been developing in a series of performances in previous years.

 

For this photo shoot, the performer shaves her hair and have selected excerpts from her poems written all over her body in Portuguese, English, and French.

In addition to featuring in the book, photos from this work continue to appear in solo and group exhibitions, having been displayed in venues such as the arts center Centro de Artes da UFF (2018) and the galleries O Lugar Arte Contemporânea in Rio de Janeiro (2023) and Vórtice Cultural in São Paulo (2024).

Words on the Canvas' Edge (BR, 2012)

Collective Performance
By Beatriz Provasi and Gean Queiroz
Special Guest: Maysa Britto
Photos: Vitor Vogel
Location: Estúdio Hanói
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

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In the performance Words on the Canvas' Edge (2012), poets and performers Beatriz Provasi and Gean Queiroz take turns reciting poems while writing on each other's bodies. At the end, they stand face to face in silence, then take turns improvising verses, concluding with an embrace. Meanwhile, guest visual artist Maysa Britto paint a canvas in the background guided by the shadows of the performers' bodies.

A Good Poet is a Dead Poet - The Disruption Passes, the Work Remains - Exp. No. 1 and 2 (BR, 2011)

Solo Performance
Collaboration: Aline Vargas and Fernando Klipel
Photos: Vitor Vogel
Filming: João Arthur Soares and Tavinho Paes
Locations: Estúdio Hanói and Jardim do Centro de Letras e Artes da UNIRIO
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

In the performance A Good Poet is a Dead Poet - The Disruption Passes, the Work Remains (2011), poet and performer Beatriz Provasi plays with the irony that many authors' works are only recognized posthumously.

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Provasi replicates a road sign typically seen at construction sites with the phrase "the disruption passes, the work remains". This sign is placed in front of her, accompanied by spoken poetry, words written on her body, barcodes drawn on her wrists, and her body lying on the ground in a crime scene outline with the inscription "a good poet is a dead poet". These elements are repeated in both experiments performed.

Performance A Good Poet is a Dead Poet - The Disruption Passes, the Work Remains (2011), by performer Beatriz Provasi; Image: João Arthur Soares

In the first experiment at Estúdio Hanói, Provasi is assisted by Aline Vargas, who writes on her body while she recites poems, draws the outline of her body on a black cloth on the floor, writes the phrase "a good poet is a dead poet", and places the road sign on an easel in front of Provasi at the end of the performance. An audio recording loops the title phrase once Provasi finishes her poems and starts drawing barcodes on her wrists before lying down on the black cloth in a crime scene outline.

In the second experiment, the performance elements are prearranged in the Garden of the Languages and Arts Faculty at UNIRIO: the road sign on an easel in front, the black cloth with the body outline and the inscription "a good poet is a dead poet" at the back, and the performer’s body in the middle, already written on by her collaborator Fernando Klipel. Provasi enters with a cape and a large black umbrella. She then undresses to reveal verses written on her skin and recites excerpts from various poems. At the end, she repeats the phrase “A good poet, my dear, is a dead poet”, draws barcodes on her wrists, and lies down in the crime scene outline.

Body-Book (BR, 2010)

Collective Performance
By Beatriz Provasi and Aline Vargas
Photos: Betho Guedes
Filming: Tavinho Paes
Event: Book launch of Performance.Ensaio by Tania Alice, at Travessa do Ouvidor Bookstore
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

In the performance Body-Book (2010), poet and performer Beatriz Provasi recites several of her poems by heart, while her partner Aline Vargas undresses her and writes fragments of what she hears on Provasi's body. With her body already extensively written on, Provasi is placed inside a shopping cart, and Vargas draws a barcode on her forehead. Then, Vargas pushes the cart with Provasi inside around the bookstore, adding other books to the cart along the way.

Performance Body-Book (2010), by Beatriz Provasi; Photo: Betho Guedes

Sphinx (BR, 2010)

Solo Performance
Body Painting: Marcela Giannini

​Collaboration: Aline Vargas

Photos: Maysa Britto
Filming: Tavinho Paes
Event: Launch of the book Esfinge (Sphinx) (2010) at Estúdio Hanói
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

The performance Sphinx (2010) was created by poet and performer Beatriz Provasi for the launch of her poetry book of the same name, featuring a unique book signing night. The launch party takes place at Estúdio Hanói, a sound studio located in a two-story house. On the second floor, there is a bedroom where Provasi receives guests lying on a bed, with her body covered only by tribal drawings painted by Marcela Giannini. Jazz plays as background music, and the author silently signs her books. As a dedication, she uses a stamp with the inscription: "Devour me before I decipher you".

Sphinx (BR, 2009)

Photo Shoot and Book

Body Painting: Marcela Giannini

Photos: Layana Lossë and Maysa Britto

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Sphinx (2009) is the photo shoot conducted by poet and performer Beatriz Provasi for her poetry book of the same name, featuring body paintings by Marcela Giannini and collaboration from photographers Layana Lossë and Maysa Britto. The photos for the book are created based on a reflection on the presence of the body in spoken word poetry, aiming to make the body present in the composition of the book. The images do not serve as mere illustrations but gain their own poetic dimension.

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