PERFORMANCE IN CRISIS October 2 – December 19, 2009
“In extraordinary times, an extreme reaction is necessary”
Concept and Curator: Papo Colo with Associate Curator: Herb Tam
Performance in Crisis are performative responses to the many crises in the global society from a particular view of the artists’ aesthetic. Often it is a presentation of an extreme action. These “performances with a purpose” are a radical and profound look at the art of performance/actions. Exit Art is doing this project to make space for the urgent matters of our culture in crisis.
The upcoming solo retrospective exhibition by Guatemalan performance artist Regina José Galindo (October 2 – November 21, 2009) will be the inauguration of the Performance in Crisis program, a series of site-specific, performative responses to the current global political and economic environment. These performances will happen over three months, using Galindo’s performance work as a point of departure. Each artist will have one evening to perform their work. This will be documented with photography and video which will become part of the show in the gallery and on the web over the three months, creating a shifting installation each week. What begins as a solo exhibition will become a collective expression of performance in crisis; the Galindo presentation will merge with the works in Performance in Crisis and continue to evolve in the space until the program ends on December 19.
These performances/actions will examine our cultural condition and respond urgently to the monumental challenges we currently face, from health care reform to immigration laws, to the horror of war and the manipulation of banks, from the poisoning of the environment to the corruption in our government. Performance in Crisis confronts these issues, exposing them and encouraging further response.
SUBMISSIONS: Artists are asked to submit a one-page description of a proposed performance for this series with any relevant sketches and equipment / prop needs and a CV to Assistant Curator Lauren Rosati at lauren@exitart.org. Selected performances will be performed on Friday/Saturday evenings during the course of Performance in Crisis. Submissions should be received by September 15; late submissions will be considered for inclusion in December. This is an exhibition whose presentation is in process, and will evolve as the show progresses.
Already scheduled performers include:Rob Andrews,Regina José Galindo,Saeri Kiritani,Jodie Lyn-Kee-Chow
David Perez,Boryana Rossa and Oleg Mavromatti,Rafael Sanchez.
ConceptPlus
ConceptPlus begins with a theme or concept that is then publicized through a call for proposals. For each ConceptPlus idea, the curator first chooses a group of artists that form the base of the exhibition. Then Exit Art opens the idea to a larger community by issuing an international call for artists to propose new or newly-contextualized work in response to a given theme or cultural condition.
EXIT ART 475 10th Ave New York, NY 10018 www.exitart.org
Exit Art is an independent vision of contemporary culture prepared to react immediately to important issues that affect our lives. We do experimental, historical and unique presentations of aesthetic, social, political and environmental issues. We absorb cultural differences that become prototype exhibitions. We are a center for multiple disciplines. Exit Art is a 25-year-old cultural center in New York City founded by Directors Jeanette Ingberman and Papo Colo. It has grown from a pioneering alternative art space into a model artistic center for the 21st century committed to supporting artists whose quality of work reflects the transformations of our culture. Exit Art is internationally recognized for its unmatched spirit of inventiveness and consistent ability to anticipate the newest trends in the culture. With a substantial reputation for curatorial innovation and depth of programming in diverse media, Exit Art is always changing.
