Zuzana Kakalikova was born in Slovakia. She studied acting at the Academy of arts in Banska Bystrica and later at the Academy Of Musical And Dramatic Arts in Bratislava. Her interest in movement led her to Scuola Teatro Dimitri in Switzerland. She is a co-founder of the Compagnie T-d’U,, with which she has created performances presented in Switzerland, Poland, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Germany, UK, Luxembourg and India. She was a part of the Matejka Studio founding team, which for eight years has been conducting research on physical expression as part of their residence at the Grotowski Institute in Wrocław.
Since 2012 Kakalikova has collaborated with Sandy Flinto and Pierrick Grobéty duo. In August 2013 she worked with Romeo Castellucci at the Venice Biennale 2013, which resulted in the performance “Ethica - Natura E Origine Della Mente”. In October 2016, during the Theatre Olympics, she participated in the workshops with Chiara Guidi (Societas Raffaello Sanzio), which ended with the performance “Throat”. In 2017, together with Guillaumarc Froidevaux, Kakalikova prepared an adaptation of David Foster Wallace's book "Brief Interviews with Hideous Men". She is currently working on a new solo project.
In Wrocław in September this year Kakalikova – inspired by Francesca Woodman, a young American photographer, active the 1970s – is going develop her individual performative practice, also together with Alexandra Kazazou. “First time I saw a photography of Francesca Woodman I was amazed and the more I was studying her work, the more I was fascinated by the dramatic potential in her photographs,” says Kakalikova. The artist is a performer with many years of experience in theatrical work related to physical expression, through which she explores body language and its capacity of communication. Results of her work Kakalikova will present at the end of the residency.
During her residency Kakalikova is also going to lead a workshop for women “Am I in the picture?”. Woodman’s strong connection with woman body, with nakedness which disappears and becomes an inherent part of the picture, raises, in her opinion, different questions. Inspired by the aesthetic of her photographs, the artist wishes to explore the possibility to transform a photograph into a scene. During exercises, the participants will be encouraged to create a common sensitivity, openness and awareness about the space, as well as developing individual way of expression.