CORPUS Nights 2026

Curated by Paula Garcia

Corpus Nights is an ongoing public presentation platform initiated by APRE Art House that extends the pedagogical ethos of Corpus – Performance Intensive into an open‑ended space for performance, experimentation, and encounter. Conceived as a non‑commissioned, exploratory forum, Corpus Nights invites artists and performers to present durational, live, or time‑based work that foregrounds the body, presence, and materiality without the constraints of conventional programming or institutional framing.

Rooted in APRE’s commitment to embodied inquiry and critical performance practice, Corpus Nights situates performance as a mode of research and exchange—inviting audiences into moments of risk, vulnerability, and collective engagement. The platform foregrounds visibility and dialogue while prioritising ecological, decolonial, and experimental sensibilities

Short Format

This edition will bring together four to five short performances, presented sequentially over the course of an evening. The format allows for multiplicity, juxtaposition, and dialogue between diverse approaches to performance. Artists may present completed works that respond to the spatial and temporal conditions of the gallery.

Long Format

This edition will centre on a single durational work of up to three hours, allowing for sustained engagement with endurance, repetition, and time-based presence. The long-duration format is intended for artists whose practices require extended temporal commitment and continuous live action.

Both editions will take place as late-evening programmes within the gallery, inviting audiences to experience performance outside conventional exhibition rhythms.

Who Can Apply

The open call is open to:

Performance artists
Interdisciplinary artists working with the body
Artists working across text, sound, endurance, ritual, and live action

We welcome applications from:
Emerging and mid-career practitioners
Independent artists working within or outside institutional frameworks
Curatorial Focus

Corpus Nights is particularly interested in practices that:

Treat performance as a critical, embodied inquiry
Engage questions of presence, temporality, repetition, or endurance
Challenge conventional modes of spectatorship
Operate through process, vulnerability, and experimentation
Are responsive to the spatial and architectural conditions of the gallery

What the Platform Offers

A curated platform for live performance within APRE Art House’s public programme
Visibility through APRE Art House’s communication channels and networks
The opportunity to present and sell limited-edition performance collectables or ephemera during the event (All proceeds will go to the Artists).
Inclusion in the Corpus Nights digital catalogue (PDF) circulated after each edition
Audience entry will be kept nominal, ensuring accessibility while supporting the sustainability of the series.

Important Note

Corpus Nights is conceived as a non-commissioned presentation platform, prioritising visibility, dialogue, and continuity within contemporary performance practices. Works are presented within the gallery’s existing spatial and technical framework; as such, additional honoraria are not part of this format.

Applicants are requested to submit:

A project description (maximum 300 words)
Preferred edition (short-duration or long-duration)
Estimated duration of the work
Spatial and technical requirements
A short artist biography (maximum 150 words)
Documentation links (if available)
CV
Application Deadline: 10th February, 2026

Apply Here: Sub: Corpus Nights SD (For Short Duration)

Sub: Corpus Nights LD (For Long Duration) to submissions@aprearthouse.com
For Queries: info@aprearthouse.com

About Paula Garcia (Curator for Corpus Nights)

Paula Garcia (b. 1975, São Paulo, Brazil) is an artist, curator, and researcher whose work connects performance, sound, materiality, and politics. Currently pursuing a PhD in Communication and Semiotics at the Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo (PUC-SP), Garcia holds an MFA in Visual Arts from Faculdade Santa Marcelina (FASM-SP) and a BFA in Visual Arts from Fundação Armando Álvares Penteado (FAAP).


Originally trained in performing arts at Michael Howard Studio (New York) and at Teatro Escola Célia Helena (São Paulo), Garcia also worked with José Celso Martinez Corrêa at Teatro Oficina before transitioning to a distinguished career in the visual arts, with a focus on performance. Her long-standing collaboration with Marina Abramovic and the Marina Abramovic Institute has been central to her practice: Abramovic curated Garcia’s work for the Fondation Beyeler in Basel (2014), and together they co-curated Terra Comunal at SESC Pompeia, São Paulo (2015). Since 2015, Garcia has served as a curator for the Marina Abramovic Institute, leading major international projects that intersect artistic creation, curatorial strategies, and performance research.


Her performances have been presented internationally, including Crash Body at the Dark Mofo Festival, Tasmania, Australia (2025); #9 (Noise Body Series) at the MAI Takeover – Southbank Centre, London (2023); CRU / RAW at ARCA, São Paulo (2020); Terra Comunal – Marina Abramovic + MAI at SESC Pompeia, São Paulo (2015); The Artist is an Explorer at the Fondation Beyeler, Basel (2014); and the 7th Biennial at El Museo del Barrio, New York (2013). Early works, such as her participation in the 17th International Festival of Contemporary Art SESC_Videobrasil (2011) and Expanded Gallery at Luciana Brito Galeria (2010), reveal her ongoing commitment to ephemeral, live art practices.


As a curator, Garcia has shaped key performance art programs worldwide. She co-curated As One (Benaki Museum, Athens, 2016) with Marina Abramovic and Serge Le Borgne, served as lead curator for No Intermission (Royal Theatre Carré, Amsterdam, 2020), curated Akış / Flux (Sakip Sabanci Museum, Istanbul, 2018), and the performance program at SP-Arte, São Paulo (2017–2018). She has also contributed to large-scale MAI projects, including the MAI Takeover at the Adelaide Festival (2024) and at Southbank Centre (2023).


Garcia’s work has been included in exhibitions at the Pinacoteca Contemporânea (São Paulo), Seoul Olympic Museum of Art (Korea), Triennale Design Museum (Milan), and the Watermill Center (New York), among others. Her piece #3 from the Noise Body series is part of the Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo’s permanent collection.


Alongside exhibitions, Garcia has participated in artistic residencies — notably the International Summer Program at the Watermill Center (2012) — and has led workshops and masterclasses internationally. Since 2018, she has been teaching Cleaning the House, a workshop developed by Marina Abramovic, in Karyes, Greece, and in 2024 she led the Laboratories of Perceptions masterclass at the Grotowski Institute in Wroclaw, Poland. She has also contributed to the field through teaching, documentary production (Noise Body, 2016), and the realization of cross-disciplinary projects that expand the possibilities of live art. Garcia is represented by Luciana Brito Galeria, São Paulo.