Experience Marianna Simnett: Circus – A Multimedia Art Exhibition at the Secession
Delve into the artist's exploration of personal history, folklore, and intense physical states through light and sound.
Marianna Simnett’s ‘Circus’ at the Secession invites visitors to engage with a compelling multimedia exhibition. This showcase features innovative light, sound, and sculptural works that explore profound themes of personal history, rich folklore, and intense physical experiences. Discover how Simnett connects her Yugoslavian heritage to broader discussions of cultural memory and trauma through surrealist methods.
About Marianna Simnett: Circus at Secession in Vienna
Read curatorial context and practical visitor information for Marianna Simnett: Circus at Secession in Vienna
Exhibition summary
Marianna Simnett's 'Circus' is a multimedia exhibition at the Secession, presenting light, sound, and sculptural works that explore themes of personal history, folklore, and intense physical states. The exhibition uses various elements, from spinning skirts to blinding lights, to express the concept of 'Circus'.
Curatorial context
In 'Circus,' Marianna Simnett presents a multimedia exhibition featuring light, sound, and sculptural works at the Secession. The exhibition draws connections to her Yugoslavian heritage, incorporating personal references such as a work inspired by her Jewish-Croatian grandfather's Holocaust experience and allusions to female figures from folklore. The traditional Balkan skirt also features prominently, used to explore themes of revealing and concealing intimate body parts.
Simnett's practice consistently engages with intense physical states, investigating pleasure and pain. The exhibition uses the metaphor of 'Circus' in various ways, including the manic circling of a skirt, a stage for performance, the sound of tormented laughter, and blinding lights. Works like 'Fountain' (2026) use neon light as a physical presence that engages and affects the viewer, while 'Catherine Wheel' (2026) features a rotating skirt synchronized with the artist's laughter, creating a sense of persistent, inescapable pressure. The exhibition delves into the ambivalence of attraction and fear, abstracting the body to explore exhaustion and loss of control as active strategies, and examining collective cultural memory and trauma through surrealist methods.
Admission and ticket notes
Information on the accompanying publication is available for free download or purchase in the shop. Ticketing details for general museum entry are available via a link to eventjet.at, and the Secession is generally open Tuesday-Sunday, 10 am-6 pm, though it was closed on the day of the crawl (indicated by 'heute geschlossen'). Specific exhibition ticket prices or booking requirements are not detailed on this page.
Marianna Simnett: Circus key exhibition facts
Review exhibition status, schedule, venue context, and attribution details for Marianna Simnett: Circus at Secession in Vienna
Venue
Secession
Current status
Completed
Exhibition schedule
Mar 6, 2026 – May 31, 2026
Artist line / attribution
Marianna Simnett, born in London, UK in 1986, lives and works in New York, USA, and Berlin, Germany.
Vienna
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