Theater of Dis-Operations (Atto I. A Disarmament), is a project by Sa.turn that identifies the activation of disarmament processes as the primary urgency of contemporary society, in a historical period where the normalization of violence, the increase in armed conflicts, and the rapid expansion of the global arms market and war industries are at the center of public debate. The exhibition was hosted at ArtNoble Gallery and curated by Arnold Braho with Stefano De Gregori.
Dalia Maini: What forms of disarmament does the exhibition Theatre of Dis-Operations (Act I. A Disarmament) propose, and how do these extend beyond traditional military contexts?
Sa.turn: The project draws inspiration from Brecht's political theater, early 20th-century Dadaist manifestos, and banned, anonymous publications such as ma l'amor mio non muore... from the 1970s. The stage setup of Theatre of Dis-Operations (Act I. A Disarmament) consists of theatrical wings stripped of scenography, symbolizing a ground zero for any possibility. The exhibition includes an agitprop graphic installation, which contains instructions for leafleting, fragments from Critical Art Ensemble fanzines critiquing weapons production (Useless Technology), and techniques for creating shelters and producing smoke.
We aimed to explore forms of disarmament that arise from the grassroots, targeting the entire apparatus of symbols and structures that underpin the military concept. This includes everything from the flag to the uniform, from the idea of the nation-state to ritualistic and symbolic commemorative practices.
The exhibition discusses "sabotage" as a means of disarming violence. What specific artistic strategies are capable of disrupting or weakening the "war paradigm," and how might these differ from conventional forms of protest or resistance?
SA: In this exhibition, sabotage is primarily related to disrupting regimes of visibility. Reenactment becomes a way of spreading skepticism about war, using the art of masking to ultimately unmask violence through re-staging, allowing for analysis and critique.
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This approach is evident in many of the works within Theatre of Dis-Operations. For Critical Art Ensemble, the focus is an analysis of U.S. interest in germ warfare in the early 2000s. Gaia De Megni uses stage costumes, medals, and glass rifles, where only the symbols that serve the idea of the military remain recognizable. Arijit Bhattacharyya’s protest costumes are embroidered with motifs, texts, drawings, and political symbols representing cultural axioms related to repressed Bangladeshi communities in India. These artistic strategies are designed for public demonstrations, while Paolo Ciregia’s work depicts the multitude of bodies sacrificed in imperialist wars.
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The project also includes Atto. II (Riot), a performative screening of Giulio Squillacciotti’s film A War Play (2024), which follows four characters reenacting an image of war—a visual meta-narrative mirroring daily media portrayals. Additionally, Edoardo Caimi explores violence through noise-sound as a disruptive device.
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The normalization of violence in society is a war strategy. How does the exhibition connect the global arms market and war industries to broader societal systems, and what critique is offered of these economic structures?
SA: We believe it is crucial to question the global arms market using every means available. According to SIPRI (Stockholm International Peace Research Institute), European arms imports almost doubled between 2014-18 and 2019-23 (+94%). As Maurizio Lazzarato has noted, we are witnessing a transformation of the neoliberal system, turning what's left of the industry into a war industry.
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The project includes testimonies from political groups actively working to sabotage and challenge the arms trade, such as CALP (Collettivo Autonomo Lavoratori Portuali), documented by Agnese Barbarani. Infinite contributes with synopses of hacked television commercials, presenting anarchist anti-militarist imagery. Stefano Serretta, on the other hand, reclaims archival footage from Italy’s armed struggle in the 1970s, offering an alternative perspective on historical narratives.
What are the considerations in using "desertion" or "dropping out" as forms of resistance?
SA: As Franco "Bifo" Berardi has written, it’s now essential to give political form to escape. This can be through collective mobilization or experimenting with forms of individual escape from dependency on the market and state—seeking “niches of autonomous survival”, by abandoning work, war, and other systems en masse.
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In the exhibition, we present two "escape machines" by Zazzaro Otto, where the imagery recalls infancy, a state deprived of political autonomy. In these sculptures, infants are symbolically equipped with every tool and ideology to escape to elsewhere.
The exhibition closes with two works by Shadi Harouni. The film I Dream the Mountain is Still Whole (2017) traces the story of Iranian Marxist revolutionaries who, when unable to continue their intellectual work, took refuge by exiling themselves in the isolated mountain quarries of Kurdistan. Harouni’s Last Day of the Bombardments (1987) reproduces a Polaroid documenting the final moment before the artist and his family left Iran.
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How does the exhibition challenge the notion of national identity by presenting "state" and "nation" as symbolic weapons?
SA: In our research, we found references to the concepts of "state" and "nation" in dictionaries, glossaries, and manuals specific to the 1970s (such as Dictionaries of Weapons), which we chose to investigate.
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The exhibition opens with Francesco Vullo’s flag, made of hundreds of saws used by northern Italian workers, which does not reference any nation-state but rather reflects a well-defined social class. Similarly, concepts of "state" and "nation" are continually challenged by alternative realities, such as those of the indigenous Zapatista women documented by Thiago Dezan, and Delio Jasse’s postcolonial analysis of stamps from the Angolan revolution.
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What can we expect from the next chapter of Theatre of Dis-Operations?
SA: The project remains open and ever-evolving. We are currently working on a publishing project that will take the form of a counter-dictionary of sabotage practices. As Avery Gordon said, “All that remains is to tame the magician and imagine otherwise.”
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The Theatre of Dis-Operations. (Act I. A Disarmament) features works by Agnese Barbarani, Arijit Bhattacharyya, Paolo Ciregia, Critical Art Ensemble, Gaia De Megni, Thiago Dezan, Shadi Harouni, Infinite, Delio Jasse, Zazzaro Otto, Stefano Serretta and Francesco Vullo
Sa.turn is a curatorial collective founded by Arnold Braho, Stefano De Gregori, and Giordano Cruciani.
- IMAGE CREDITS
Cover: Paolo Ciregia, Position #2 (2023). Courtesy the artist and ArtNoble Gallery. Ph credits Michela Pedranti.
fig. 1: Arijit Bhattacharyya, The Blue Tiger (2024). Maschera, costumi, juta e manichino.
fig. 2: Afelio (solo) (2024), Still video, stampa Inkjet su carta cotone. Performer: Marta Tabacco. Coreographer: Gloria Dorli- guzzo. Assistant director: Giorgia La Pegna. DOP: Gabriele Spallino. Project Manager: Elena Castiglia.
fig. 3: Paolo Ciregia, (CTS) “capture the shield” (2024). Scudo originale polizia ucraina, adesivi rivoluzionari ucraini.
fig. 4: Agnese Barbarani, Oggetti di lotta (2024). Stampa Inkjet print su carta Baryta Matte.
fig. 5: Zazzaro Otto, Per fare un tavolo ci vuole la guerra (2024) Tecnica mista.
fig. 6: Shadi Harouni, I Dream the Mountain is Still Whole (2017).
fig. 7: Francesco Vullo, Flag (2024), Lame in acciaio di recupero, asta in ferro.
fig. 8: Délio Jasse, Untitled (2024), Slide proiezione fissa.
