Begin Suddenly in Splendour

Ballet, Dressage, Baroque in Service to Feminism

Rose English (b. Hereford, UK, 1950) developed her singular practice surrounded by the conceptual art of the 1970s, which remains seminal today, and in the orbit of the feminist avant-garde. Boasting an extraordinarily diverse oeuvre, she ranks among the most influential performance artists of our time. Her art combines elements of theater, circus, opera, comedy, and poetry for an interdisciplinary investigation of themes including the politics of gender, the identities of performers, and the metaphysics of presence—the true nature of performance. Many of her works have been collaborative productions involving a large cast of participants such as musicians, singers, dancers, filmmakers, circus artists, magicians, and even dressage horses.

The publication Begin Suddenly in Splendour is released on occasion of English's solo exhibition at the Museum der Moderne Salzburg. Presenting an exploratory survey of the artist's oeuvre, which now spans five decades, the richly illustrated catalogue contains extensive documentation as well as essays by Connie Butler, Nicole Haitzinger, Lisa Moravec, Marijana Schneider, and Amy Tobin.