Fascinating pieces of conceptual performance art by Tony Orrico. In his Penwald series he combines dance with visual art. The drawings are basically remains, memories and a historical archive from the live performances. Tony Orrico displays moves that express different characteristics of his varied line-making. His movements show a contradiction between the restrictions/ limitations of his body and at the same time they display the freedom within this confined space of his body movements but also in the emotion and intensity he uses to put the lines on the surface of his “canvas”. The contradiction can also be found back in the relation of virtual eternal lines and the depletion of his tools (graphite,crayon or felt-tipped pen).

Some of the Penwald works remind us of leonardo Da Vinci’s iconic, classically proportioned Vitruvian Man with his arms outstretched to each side. However Tony Orrico basically is the Vitruvian Man in action. In the below video Tony Orrico performs a graphite drawing of 8 circles. Each circle is drawn by four patterns consisting of 31.25 efforts each, 1,000 efforts total. The roll is measured by the torso and one arm. This event took place at PlacMark, a residency and performance space in Hudson, NY.

Video and photos by: Tony Orrico | Top and bottom detail photo by Peter Cox | Tony Orrico website