Filippo Riniolo e Francesco Marsili, Una corona a testa in giù, performance 2023, albumArte

AlbumArte, an independent artistic production centre, presents the live performance A crown upside down, by and with Filippo Riniolo, with the participation of Francesco Marsili. Tuesday 28 March 2023 6.30 p.m.
In Italy, the path of gender transition involves both lengthy psychological and endocrinological therapy. The most disconcerting moment, however, comes when, once all the compulsory steps have been completed, one proceeds to request a change of identity in the documents, for which the bureaucratic process requires a civil court judge to legally reassign the applicant's gender. The judge in this case, however, does not only take note of the person's path and request, but also has the power to establish 'discretion' as to whether the person is 'male enough' or 'female enough' to be able to obtain this reassignment.

Carla Lonzi, Filippo RIniolo e Francesco Marsili, Una corona a testa in giù, 2023, performance, albumarte, Roma

In the case of a man born biologically female, the judge, unable by law to ask the subject to undress, may assess the transition to male gender by taking into consideration a secondary sexual element such as a beard and, in the absence of a properly bearded face, may reject the application.
The first paradox is that not all cisgender males have full beards and many of them, if they were to be assessed on the basis of that particular feature, would not necessarily recognise the gender they were given at birth. It is therefore decidedly anachronistic to ask non-cisgender people to have to switch from one gender stereotype to another, without allowing them to place themselves in one of the many shades that gender has.

Filippo RIniolo e Francesco Marsili, Una corona a testa in giù, 2023, performance, albumarte, Roma

This crystallisation of the 'male/female' dichotomy has the precise function of reaffirming the dominance of the masculine. Patriarchy has determined the genders using countless symbols and to one (the masculine) has attributed all the elements of strength and to the other (the feminine) all the elements of weakness, fragility and fickleness.
During the performance, on the day of the judge's ruling on whether Francesco is worthy of being male in the documents, the artist Filippo Riniolo, who does not care about this symbolic masculine crown at all, gives it to his friend. For fun but not for show. As if the masculine were the beard. As if gender could be passed on or donated.

Filippo Riniolo e Francesco Marsili, Una corona a testa in giù, 2023, performance, albumArte, Roma

L’artista crea così una performance ironica dove l’imputato in attesa di giudizio diventa il patriarcato. Un ringraziamento speciale a Paola Ugolini e Pietro Gaglianò per il dialogo fertile e generativo senza il quale non esisterebbe questo lavoro. Grazie a Ultraqueer di TWM Factory per il sostegno.

Filippo Riniolo e Francesco Marsili, Una corona a testa in giù, 2023, performance, albumarte, Roma

Filippo RIniolo e Francesco Marsili, Una corona a testa in giù, 2023, performance, albumarte, Roma

Filippo Riniolo e Francesco Marsili, Una corona a testa in giù, 2023, performance, albumarte, Roma

Filippo Riniolo e Francesco Marsili, Una corona a testa in giù, 2023, performance, albumarte, Roma

Filippo Riniolo e Francesco Marsili, Una corona a testa in giù, 2023, performance, albumarte, Roma

Filippo Riniolo e Francesco Marsili, Una corona a testa in giù, 2023, performance, albumarte, Roma