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Emma Maye Gibson (Betty Grumble)
Variety Night | 2024
bio:
Emma Maye Gibson (AKA Betty Grumble) is a Warrane/Sydney based performance artist. Largely through the avatar/war mask/love letter/critter of Grumble she engages her body as a hopeful and medicinal site for catharsis and pleasure.
Often moving in a genre smash of ritual theatre, autobiography, cabaret, performance art and multi-media, she is a proud ecosexual and believes in art as an action of her spirituality. She has her Masters in Fine Arts/Arse and has presented work at The Sydney Opera House, Glastonbury, Edinburgh Fringe, Perth & Adelaide Fringes, The Melbourne Comedy Festival, The Festival of Dangerous Ideas, Griffin Theatre, Belvoir St Theatre, The Bearded Tit, Red Rattler Theatre, OUTsider Festival (Austin, Texas), MoMA (NYC), Joe’s Pub (NYC), The Glory (London), LiveWorks, The Old Fitz, AsiaTOPA, Dark Mofo, Mona Foma, Sydney World Pride, Ted X, AGNSW, MCA, Berlin Fringe, Rising Festival and beyond.
She believes in the flesh riot, leads Grumble Boogie ‘Thank You Body’ aerobic psychic love energy dance classes and is currently engaged in developing a new work under the guidance of mentors Dr Annie Sprinkle, Elizabeth Burton and Victoria Spence. Major works include: Sex Clown Saves The World, Love & Anger, The Unshame Machine, GRUMBLISM, Grumble Boogie, Goddess – The Elizabeth Burton Story, Mini Beast Disco, A Composting Cabaret, 24HR Grumble Boogie & Enemies of Grooviness Eat Shit.
statement:
Emma Maye Gibson is a performance artist working with embodiment, ecosexuality, autobiography and presence. Utilising spoken word, dance, song, ritual and response, she has over a decade’s experience weaving experience and expression born out of the queer nightclub, seeping into both traditional performance spaces and subversive realities.
Thriving in adapting to challenge and incongruity, her practice has been channeled largely through avatar Betty Grumble; a sex clown, surreal showgirl, mantric wish and witness. Gibson revere’s legacies of border riders, defiant sexuailties, witches and rascals as bodies who inspire her work. Her practice also spans video and photography, aerobic psychic dance classes and both short and long form endurance works. She is a multidisciplinary being with multi dimensional hopes. Central to her ethos is the mantra - Thank You Body.
