When The Towel Drops Vol 1 | Italy
The first of a multi-volume transnational research project, When The Towel Drops Vol 1 | Italy explores the censorship of female pleasure and sexuality in publicly viewed cinema during the post World War II period in Italy – a time in which the country was transitioning from a fascist regime to the sexual liberation movement of the 1960s.
In 2014, Radha May traveled to the Cineteca di Bologna in Italy where the scenes that had been removed from publicly viewed cinema in Italy had been meticulously archived. There, she watched scene after redacted scene from films such as Ingmar Bergman’s Brink of Life (1958), a Mauro Bolognini’s La Notte Brava (1960) and Joseph Sarno’s Inga, Io Ho Voglia (1968). She was especially drawn to the scenes of women expressing sexual desire, provocation and defiance. Whilst at the Cineteca di Bologna, Radha May also unearthed the official documents justifying the removal of these scenes from publicly viewed cinema. Through films, installations, performances, publications and events, Radha May shares her findings that have, until now, never been seen publicly.
Exhibitions
When The Towel Drops Vol 1 | Italy 2015. Solo show. 35mm film installation. Granoff Center for the Arts, Brown University
Labor of Love. Group Show. Wiki Storm performance. 250 Varet. 2015, Brooklyn, NY, USA
When The Towel Drops Vol 1 | Italy 2015. Performance. Fabrica Del Vapore. 2016, Milan, Italy
The Following Scenes Will Be Deleted. Union Docs. 2017, Brooklyn, NY, USA
What Can Be Seen. Spring/Break Art Show. Group Show. 2018, New York, NY, USA
