In this video, Lorenzo Balbi, Director of MAMbo – Museo d'Arte Moderna di Bologna, and Thomas Brambilla, owner of the eponymous gallery, discuss the exhibition John Giorno: The Performative Word, offering insights into the artist's groundbreaking practice and his lasting impact on contemporary art and poetry.
John Giorno (New York, 1936 – 2019) was a magnetic poet and performer who knew how to transform words into art.
From February 5 to May 3, 2026, MAMbo - Museo d'Arte Moderna di Bologna, a division of the Settore Musei Civici of Comune di Bologna - is presenting John Giorno: The Performative Word, curated by Lorenzo Balbi. Held in the Sala delle Ciminiere, this is the first major Italian retrospective celebrating one of the most radical and visionary figures in contemporary culture.
John Giorno was a key figure in the avant-garde New York scene. A poet, artist, and activist, he tore down the boundaries between disciplines, turning poetry into a living body capable of inhabiting unexpected places. His friendships and collaborations with major figures of that era, including Andy Warhol, Robert Rauschenberg, William Burroughs, John Cage, and Patti Smith, as well as his establishment of Giorno Poetry Systems in 1965 - a non-profit organization that revolutionized the dissemination of poetry by blending it with music, visual arts, political engagement, and community practices - are all a testament to Giorno's essential impact on art history.
