Guests are invited for a night of live performance, architectural experimentation, and music to honor and support the pioneering organization
Founded by art historian and curator RoseLee Goldberg 20 years ago, Performa has become a leading biennial exhibition of boundary-pushing live artwork. Over the past two decades, many artists have debuted new works supported by the biennial, including Yvonne Rainer, Mike Kelley, Guy Maddin, Oscar Murillo, DeForrest Brown Jr., Alexa West, Pilvi Takala, and Eiko Otake. Through public programs, publications, and other media, Performa has also stayed at the forefront of developing critical awareness language around performance in New York and beyond.
From its beginnings in 2004, the nonprofit has developed into an anchor for international contemporary art, with a mission “dedicated to exploring the critical role of live performance in the history of 20th-century art and to encouraging new directions in performance for the 21st century.” As Goldberg told Document in 2015, “I started Performa to stop time because we all race through Chelsea and never see anything in full. I wanted us to be really present with the work.” Now nine years later, Goldberg reports that nothing and everything has changed. “We’re as fiercely determined as ever to gather the extraordinary energy and creativity that is New York City providing a highly visible platform—and to run an organization that works collaboratively with major cultural institutions across the five boroughs,” she says. But she adds that Performa itself has changed the landscape of how people view live performance. “Performa has shown the art world that live performance is integral to the history of 20th century art, that it is an exciting and direct interface between artists and audiences, and that it has the capacity to appeal to a large cross-section of artists, students, and the public.” Today most arts institutions and biennials support live performance—a sea change from 2004.
To celebrate these two-decades of artistic impact, Performa will be throwing an anniversary gala followed by an Artist Party, co-hosted by Document Journal, at WSA in lower Manhattan. This year’s event honors the sculptor and photographer Paul Pfeiffer, a Performa 19 commission artist, and the painter Tschabalala Self, a Performa 21 alumna, for their pioneering works. Guests will experience an installation by bicoastal architecture firm Charlap Hyman & Herrero which will reflect on “looks and moments from Performa Commissions,” as the architects describe it, including those by Francesco Vezzoli with Miuccia Prada, Emgreen and Dregset, and Laurie Simmons. And it will all be accompanied by sounds from Kevin Aviance, S’Aint Panic, and Alissa Brianna.
With their tickets, guests—who are invited to dress to a “high performance” attire theme—will support Performa’s initiatives—including not only the biennial but also their Pavilions Without Walls program, building a permanent hub for their archives. With this support, Performa will continue to be “a gathering place for conversation about contemporary art and culture and the role of live performance in bringing a deep sense of humanity to audiences.”
Tickets for Performa’s 20th Anniversary Artist Party are available here.
