Diego MarconKRAPFEN

Diego Marcon, an artist known for his radical rethinking of cinema, sound, and space, makes his U.S. debut at the Renaissance Society this September. Marcon’s practice is rooted in structural cinema—eschewing traditional storytelling to explore the mechanics of filmmaking itself. His works challenge the hierarchy between subject and image, dissolving narrative into abstraction. For this exhibition, Marcon presents KRAPFEN, a newly commissioned musical dance film that stages an encounter between a young boy, performed by a dancer, and five characters represented by costume props: gloves, a cape, a waistcoat, trousers, and shoes. KRAPFEN is also an encounter between the golden age of American animation and Italian opera. The choreography—a mix of contemporary dance, classical ballet, and popular entertainment forms—reflects the juxtaposition of traditional and digital filmmaking processes, a hallmark of Marcon’s practice.

Lead support for Diego Marcon: KRAPFEN is provided by the Robert and Penelope Steiner Family Foundation.