«LEADER», 2024

Concept, Choreography, Directing: Ernestyna Orlowska
Performer: Izabela Orzelowska

A performer, dressed in an orange full-body suit—part protective workwear, part princess gown—recites 101 productivity tips while manipulating a 26-kilogram roll of lead sheet. This object becomes both burden and mirror: its toxicity and weight evoke the invisible toll of constant self-optimization as exhaustion meets the absurd logic of efficiency culture. In LEADER, Ernestyna Orlowska confronts the contradictions of neoliberal society through a striking interplay of body, material, and performance. The title’s double meaning—"lead" as material and "leader" as a social ideal—exposes the toxic pursuit of productivity and success. LEADER unfolds as a visceral critique of the pressures shaping our bodies, desires, and definitions of achievement.

Photos: Karin Salathé