Bundanon

Lives / works: Gadigal Eora, Sydney.

Emma Maye Gibson (AKA Betty Grumble) is a Sydney/Warrane 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, AsiaTOPA, Dark Mofo, Mona Foma, Berlin Fringe 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 Annie Sprinkle, Elizabeth Burton and Victoria Spence. Major works include: Sex Clown Saves The World, Love & Anger, The Unshame Machine, Grumble n’ Friends, Grumble Boogie, Goddess – The Elizabeth Burton Story & Enemies of Grooviness Eat Shit. 

In residence at Bundanon

Gibson/Grumble will be held by the power of the Bundanon space to dive deep into development of Enemies of Grooviness Eat Shit & 24 Hour Grumble Boogie. Both of these works are symbolic of a maturation process in the artist’s work, where her intimacy with avatar Betty Grumble as a spiritual access point and mantric protest wish is examined. Both of these works are highly physical, ritualistic offerings seeded in a desire to hold stories of grief, hope, rage and love simultaneously.