Performa Announces Biennial Dates and Program Overview for Performa 11

Not a member?

HOME

Art News:

Performa 11 Press Release

For Immediate Release
March 8, 2011

PERFORMA 11

THE FOURTH EDITION OF THE HIGHLY ACCLAIMED

BIENNIAL OF NEW VISUAL ART PERFORMANCE

TO FEATURE MORE THAN 100 INTERNATIONAL ARTISTS AND

10 NEW PERFORMA COMMISSIONS

IN SPECTACULAR CITY-WIDE EVENTS

November 1–20, 2011 in New York City

New York, NY— Performa is pleased to announce its fourth visual art performance biennial, Performa 11, taking place November 1–20, 2011, throughout New York City. Performa 11 will feature performances by over 100 of the most exciting contemporary artists, including 10 new Performa Commissions by acclaimed artists from around the world, as well as Performa Premieres and a host of new works by up-and-coming artists. This year’s biennial will be a thrilling showcase of live culture across all artistic disciplines, taking place at over 80 venues throughout New York City and presented in collaboration with a consortium of over 40 arts and cultural organizations.

Since Performa’s first biennial took New York City by storm in 2005, Performa has succeeded in presenting the nation’s first and only live visual art performance biennial. It has become one of the most anticipated art events in the country, having reached an international audience of over 70,000 people. With its biennial, Performa has not only changed the course of performance art history, but it has also caused a ripple effect around the world with museums, organizations, and festivals incorporating performance into their programming. Once again, Performa will present its critically acclaimed series of Commissions and Premieres, many by artists who have never worked live before, and will create a one-of-a-kind opportunity to see, hear, and taste the freshest ideas, enjoy new artistic perspectives, and experience New York City like never before.

RoseLee Goldberg, Performa’s Founding Director and Curator, says, “In just five years, Performa has changed people’s minds about the very nature and meaning of artists’ performance. It has shown it to be an inspiring, profound, and accessible platform for exciting new ideas. Performa gives the public a highly selected but broad overview of performance in different disciplines, and, in just three weeks, viewers can come to understand the most important new developments in contemporary art and culture. It is thrilling to work with Performa artists to realize their extraordinary visions.”

PROGRAM
Over its three-week run, the Performa Hub, designed by nOffice, will function as the biennial’s headquarters, offering a venue for special performances, screenings, panel discussions, bookshop, lounge, and a visitor information center. To program this year’s biennial, Performa will draw upon the rich cultural landscape of New York City by partnering with over 40 innovative local arts and cultural organizations. Working with this consortium of presenting partners, the biennial will create a lively dialogue through different disciplines working and thinking together. This collaboration creates an exciting cultural atmosphere; a unique cross-pollination think tank with an exchange of ideas, sharing of resources, and new connections between organizations and arts professionals.

Performa Board of Directors Chair Jeanne Greenberg Rohatyn adds, “Performa’s biennial will once again transform the landscape of New York and send a jolt of energy throughout the city. Performa 11 will provide a unique opportunity to see live events in all disciplines of the arts. Whether a modest performance or a large-scale production, there is always a sense that you have to be there.”

COMMISSIONS
A central part of Performa’s biennials are its Commissions, which originate exciting new performances by visual artists, many of whom have never worked live before. This year, Performa will present 10 new Performa Commissions by both established and up-and-coming artists. Artists receive unparallel support to realize powerful, intellectually reflective, and artistically innovative works of live performance that vary widely in scale, taking place at venues from a small local bar to a large opera house.

To date, Performa has commissioned 24 projects by 45 artists, including Francis Alÿs (Performa 05); Jesper Just (Performa 05); Sanford Biggers (Performa 07); Isaac Julien (Performa 07); Carols Amorales (Performa 07); Daria Martin (Performa 07); Japanther (Performa 07); Nathalie Djurberg (Performa 07); Christian Jankowski (Performa 07); Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster (Performa 09); Mike Kelley (Performa 09); Guy Ben-Ner (Performa 09); Candice Breitz (Performa 09); Omer Fast (Performa 09); Arto Lindsay (Performa 09); Christian Tomaszewski (Performa 09); Yeondoo Jung (Performa 09); and Wangechi Mutu (Performa 09), among others, many of which have gone on to tour internationally. In addition to the Commissions, a series of Performa Premieres and a host of other new work will be shown during the biennial.

Performa will announce its Commission artists in mid-April.

HISTORICAL AND RESEARCH THEMES
Along with presenting new work, Performa also provides a link to the past with historical and research themes focusing on performance history from the twentieth century. This year’s research theme, Language, Translation, and Misinformation will investigate the use of language in the field of performance by visual artists versus that of theater actors. The two historical themes, Russian Constructivism (1913–1940s) and Fluxus (1960s) — which both used language in a visual art context — along with the research theme will act as a point of departure for the work selected for the biennial program.

FUNDING
Major support for Performa 11 has been provided by Toby Devan Lewis, Lambent Foundation, and The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. Additional support provided by The Dedalus Foundation, MAP Fund, a program of Creative Capital, supported by the Rockefeller Foundation, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, the Danish Arts Council, the Office for Contemporary Art Norway, and the Performa Board of Directors, Performa Producers Circle, and the Performa Visionaries.

ABOUT PERFORMA
Performa, a non-profit multidisciplinary arts organization established by RoseLee Goldberg in 2004, is dedicated to exploring the critical role of live performance in the history of twentieth century art and to encouraging new directions in performance for the twenty-first century. In 2005, Performa launched New York’s first performance biennial, Performa 05, followed by Performa 07 (2007), and Performa 09 (2009). In 2011, Performa will present its fourth biennial, Performa 11 (November 1–20, 2011). For more information, visit www.performa-arts.org.

Media Contact
Ashley Tickle
Press and Marketing Manager
+ 1 212 366 5700
ashley@performa-arts.org

Sent to artsnews@absolutearts.com: | | forward to a friend

YOUR FIRST STOP FOR ART ONLINE!

Discover over 150,000 works of contemporary art. Search by medium, subject matter, price and theme... research over 200,000 works by over 22,000 masters in the indepth art history section. Browse through new Art Blogs. Use our advanced artwork search interface.

Call for Artists, Premiere Portfolio sign-up for your Free Portfolio or create an Artist Portfolio today and sell your art at the marketplace for contemporary Art! Start a Gallery Site to exclusively showcase your gallery. Keep track of contemporary art with your free MYabsolutearts account.