La Moderna: Tina Modotti’s Letters from Exile
Tina Modotti: a life of art, love and revolution.
Photographer, actress, activist, exile: Tina Modotti lived through the 20th century, leading a life that defied all conventional norms.
“La Moderna: Tina Modotti’s Letters from Exile”, a theatrical production dedicated to the life and artistic legacy of Tina Modotti, premiered on March 21 and 22, 2026, at La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club in New York City. Following its New York debut, the production continues its tour across Italy, bringing Tina Modotti’s extraordinary story to audiences throughout the country.
From her emigration to the United States to her career in cinema, from her encounter with Edward Weston to post-revolutionary Mexico, her life weaves together artistic exploration, passions and political commitment, finding in photography a means of examining reality and the injustices of her time.
Claudia Gerini and Mujah Maraini-Melehi bring her to life on stage through two complementary portrayals, spanning her different ages, conflicts and transformations. Modotti’s letters are interwoven with photographs, period images, video art and live music, creating a dynamic portrait of a woman who cannot be reduced to a single identity.
An artist who was not content merely to observe her own era, but sought to play an active part in it, paying with her life the price for the very freedom she sought in her art.
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credits
with Claudia Gerini and Mujah Maraini-Melehi
and with Giulio Forges Davanzati
Fabio Garzia on guitar
Raffaele Toninelli, double bass
Daniele Manciocchi, saxophone
visual artist Fiamma Montezemolo
music by Michael Hashim
produced by Cabiria
The show is also performed in Italian.
16 February: performance in Italian.
17 February: performance in English.
