Nina Beier: Performance x 2

In Nina Beier’s work, a dynamic interplay between the material and the narrative challenges any one-dimensional perspective. The newly produced piece “Swell” (2025) brings together a group of uniformly dressed individuals who, on cue, perform synchronized push-ups. An inner, personal motivation is transformed into a collective movement – both precise and fluid. As in many of Beier’s works, the seemingly simple yet physical gesture opens up for multiple interpretations, where pop cultural tropes, contemporary politics, and the absurd converge. The relationship between subject and object becomes tangible, as the individual dissolves into the collective.

In “The Complete Works” (2009), the audience encounters a retired dancer who, following Beier’s instructions, is asked to recreate all the movements and choreographies they performed throughout their career. The performance is not preceded by any rehearsal, relying solely on personal and embodied memory. Just as much as the piece is an intimate, introspective journey for the dancer, it becomes an emotional and complex choreography for the viewer.