«Il fantastico attraverso una presenza “critica”» : Jannis Kounellis, Boogie-Woogie, 1971

In 1971 Jannis Kounellis imagined Boogie-Woogie, an action with donkeys disguised as men. The action, envisaged to be performed on stage, never saw the light of day and was consequently removed from the official body of work of the artist, then gradually forgotten. Despite its unfortunate fate, some drawings and documents related to Kounellis’ project can still be helpful at present to shed light upon Boogie-Woogie. This paper focuses on this unperformed action, analyzing the supporting documentation to understand the creative process behind it and its possible meanings. The aim is primarily the will to reintegrate Boogie-Woogie into Kounellis’ corpus, paying particular attention to the contemporary cultural context. The analysis of the project permits to point out some general reflections on Kounellis’ works specifically conceived for theatre, underlining the continuity between these outcomes and the works simultaneously presented in art galleries and in more traditional contexts. In addition, a wide range of possible sources for Boogie-Woogie are proposed and discussed, trying to unveil its complex iconography and meanings. In doing so, the role of Boogie-Woogie in Kounellis’ body of work would hopefully be clarified, just as the utmost importance of some references, between theatre, painting, cinema etc., shaping a problematic and challenging background context.