November 1-21, 2011
New York City

Full program announced and ticket go on sale September 23rd!

For more info, click here.

Performa 09: Back to Futurism

Thursday, September 22, 2011, 6-8 pm
Outside Printed Matter, 195 Tenth Avenue, between 21st and 22nd Streets

To rsvp, email Loren Mullins at loren@performa-arts.org or 212.366.5700

While you’re going to gallery openings in Chelsea on Thursday night, September 22, stop by our specially-decorated Performa truck, parked outside Printed Matter on Tenth Avenue, to purchase your copy of the beautiful new Performa book!

You can have your book autographed by over a dozen Performa artists (to be announced) and enjoy a fabulous brass band!

Truck designed by Kyle Goen
Featuring a live performance by No Credit Bad Credit
Co-presented with Printed Matter and 192 Books

Written and edited by Performa Founding Director and Curator RoseLee Goldberg, Performa 09: Back to Futurism is the third volume to draw content and inspiration from the world-renowned Performa biennials. This beautiful 400-page book features creative documentation by the 150 artists who made Performa 09 so extraordinary—among them Guy Ben-Ner, Candice Breitz, Omer Fast, Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster and Ari Benjamin Meyers, Mike Kelley, Arto Lindsay, Wangechi Mutu, Christian Tomaszewski and Joanna Malinowska, and Yeondoo Jung (all of whom presented special Performa Commissions), and Keren Cytter, Tacita Dean, Alicia Framis, Loris Greaud, William Kentridge, and Joan Jonas(who brought US premieres to the biennial).

To purchase Performa 09: Back to Futurism, click here.

Wednesday, October 5, 2011, 6 pm

Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, Margaret Liebman Berger Forum
New York Public Library
Fifth Avenue at 42nd Street, New York, NY [map]

Free admission. First come, first serve.

In celebration of the newest Performa publication Performa 09: Back to Futurism, the New York Public Library will host a conversation between Performa Founding Director and Curator RoseLee Goldberg, Performa 09 Commission artist Wangechi Mutu, and Performa 11 Commission artist Shirin Neshat, in which they discuss what it means to commission a new work in live performance and the impact the Performa biennial has had on the history and future of live performance.

Written and edited by legendary performance art historian RoseLee Goldberg, Performa 09: Back to Futurism is the definitive document of the unforgettable Performa 2009 biennial. It is the third volume to draw content and inspiration from the world-renowned Performa biennials, and features creative documentation by the 150 artists who made Performa 09 so extraordinary–among them Guy Ben-Ner, Candice Breitz, Omer Fast, Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster, Mike Kelley, Arto Lindsay, Wangechi Mutu, Christian Tomaszewski and Yeondoo Jung (all of whom presented special Performa Commissions) and Keren Cytter, Tacita Dean, Alicia Framis, Loris Greaud, William Kentridge and Joan Jonas (who brought US premieres to the biennial). Photographs of each artist’s performance and texts contributed by curators and critics provide accounts of every show, as well as an understanding of the importance of each work within the artist’s individual career and in relation to larger artistic trends. Taking place at over 80 of New York’s most exciting art and cultural venues, Performa 09 was created as a collaboration between all of these moving parts, so a portrait of the city’s remarkable history of cultural innovation also emerges from these pages. Performa 09: Back to Futurism is not only a gorgeous document of a remarkable biennial, but also an invaluable reference guide to the most significant artists of our time, for art historians and fans alike.

Copies of Performa 09: Back to Futurism are available for purchase and signing at the event.

RoseLee Goldberg, Founding Director and Curator of Performa, is an art historian, critic, and curator whose book Performance Art: From Futurism to the Present, first published in 1979, pioneered the study of performance art. Former Director of the Royal College of Art Gallery in London and Curator at The Kitchen in New York, she is also the author of Performance: Live Art Since 1960 (1998) and Laurie Anderson (2000), and is a frequent contributor to Artforum and other publications. Recent awards and grants include two awards from the International Association of Art Critics (2011), the Agnes Gund Curatorial Award from Independent Curators International (2010), Curatorial Research Fellowship from the Warhol Foundation (2008), and Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters from the French Government (2006). In 2004, she founded Performa, a non-profit arts organization committed to the research, development, and presentation of performance by visual artists from around the world, and launched New York’s first performance biennial, Performa 05 (2005), followed by Performa 07 (2007), and Performa 09 (2009). In 2011, Performa will present its fourth biennial, Performa 11 (November 1–21, 2011). Since 1987, Goldberg has taught at New York University.

New York-based artist Shirin Neshat (b. 1957, Qazvin, Iran) works primarily in photography and video, often dealing with the alienation of women in repressed Muslim societies. Major solo exhibitions include the National Museum of Contemporary Art, Athens, (2009); Hamburger Bahnhof, Museum Für Gengewart, Berlin (2005); Walker Art Center, Minneapolis (2001); Serpentine Gallery, London (2000); and the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago (1999), among others. Awards and accolades include the Silver Lion, Venice Film Festival (2009); Hiroshima Freedom Prize, Hiroshima City Museum of Art (2005); Grand Prix, Kwangju Biennale (2000); Visual Art Award, Edinburgh International Film Festival (2000); and First International Prize, Venice Biennale (1999).

Wangechi Mutu (b. 1972, Nairobi, Kenya) has trained as both a sculptor and anthropologist. Her work explores the contradictions of female and cultural identity and makes reference to colonial history, contemporary African politics, and the international fashion industry. Major solo exhibitions include Deutsche Guggenheim, Berlin (2010); Gladstone Gallery, New York (2010); Performa 09, New York (2009); Kunsthalle Wien Museum, Vienna (2008); San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco (2005), and Art Pace, San Antonio (2004). Awards and grants include Deutsche Guggenheim Artist of the Year, Berlin (2010); Cooper Union Urban Visionaries Awards, Emerging Talent Award, New York (2008); The Joan Mitchell Foundation Painters & Sculptors Award, New York (2007); and the Studio Museum in Harlem Artist in Residence, New York (2003).

Performa 09: Back to Futurism Book Launch

Thursday, August 4, 2011, 5-7 pm

ARTBOOK + R/TURPAN
63 Main Street, East Hampton, NY

RSVP to Loren Mullins, loren@performa-arts.org or +1 212 366 5700

Written and edited by Performa Founding Director and Curator RoseLee Goldberg, Performa 09: Back to Futurism is the definitive document of the unforgettable Performa 09 biennial. As the third volume to draw content and inspiration from the world-renowned Performa biennials, this beautiful 400-page book features creative documentation by the 150 artists who made Performa 09 so extraordinary—among them Guy Ben-Ner, Candice Breitz, Omer Fast, Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster and Ari Benjamin Meyers, Mike Kelley, Arto Lindsay, Wangechi Mutu, Christian Tomaszewski and Joanna Malinowska, and Yeondoo Jung (all of whom presented special Performa Commissions), and Keren Cytter, Tacita Dean, Alicia Framis, Loris Greaud, William Kentridge, and Joan Jonas(who brought US premieres to the biennial).

Vibrant photos of each artist’s performance by renowned photographer Paula Court and texts contributed by a range of curators and critics provide accounts of every show, as well as an understanding of the importance of each work within the artist’s individual career and in relation to larger historical trends. Taking place at over 80 of New York’s most exciting art and cultural venues, Performa 09 was created as a collaboration between all of these moving parts, so a portrait of the city’s remarkable history of cultural innovation also emerges from these pages. Performa 09: Back to Futurism is not only a gorgeous document of a remarkable biennial, but also an invaluable reference guide to the most significant artists of our time, for art historians and fans alike.

To pre-order your copy today, click here.

To read the press release, click here.

Performa is pleased to announce the next four Performa Commissions as well as the first two Performa Premieres for its upcoming visual art performance biennial, Performa 11, this November 1–21, 2011, in New York City. Acclaimed artists to receive Performa Commissions are Simon Fujiwara, Mika Rottenberg and Jon Kessler, Frances Stark, and Ming Wong. Performa Premieres will be presented by celebrated artists Robert Ashley and Boris Charmatz. As America’s first biennial to present international artists in all disciplines, Performa 11 presents a wide range of exciting and engaging new work by both established and emerging artists from around the world.

RoseLee Goldberg, Performa Founding Director and Curator, says, “I am thrilled to announce our next group of Performa Commissions and our first two Performa Premieres. These awards allow artists to take off in whatever directions they choose and bring their ideas to life in extraordinary ways.” Goldberg adds, “We‘re especially excited to work with such a cross-generational group of artists, ranging from up-and-coming artists like Simon Fujiwara to legendary figures like Robert Ashley.”

The Performa Commissions, a central part of the Performa biennial, give artists unparalleled support to realize new work in live performance. These five newly-announced artists join an acclaimed group of additional artists who have already received Performa Commissions for Performa 11: iona rozeal brown, Elmgreen & Dragset, Ragnar Kjartansson, Guy Maddin, and Shirin Neshat. The Performa Premieres program, launched in 2009 with artists including Tacita Dean, William Kentridge, and Joan Jonas, presents exceptional live works that have never been seen in New York. Working closely with each artist, Performa finds the perfect venue for every project, tailoring it especially for the unique context of New York City. Performa’s Commissions, Premieres, and Projects are curated by RoseLee Goldberg, along with Performa’s team of curators and producers including Defne Ayas, Mark Beasley, Esa Nickle, Dougal Phillips, and Lana Wilson.

Performa will announce additional Performa Commissions, Performa Premieres, and Performa Projects in July and August, along with exciting programs from the Performa Consortium of over 40 arts and cultural organizations, and by more than 25 international curators.

Image: Robert Ashley, still from Perfect Lives, 1984. Courtesy the artist.

To read the press release, click here.

Performa is pleased to announce the first Performa Commissions for Performa 11, the upcoming visual art performance biennial, this November 1–21, 2011, in New York City. Among the acclaimed artists who have received these prestigious awards and who will create new work for the biennial are Shirin Neshat, Elmgreen & Dragset, Ragnar Kjartansson, iona rozeal brown, and Guy Maddin. The centerpiece of Performa’s biennials is its internationally renowned Performa Commissions program. Initiated by Performa Founding Director and Curator RoseLee Goldberg in 2005 to create new performances for the twenty-first century, the Performa Commission invites artists—many of whom have not worked live before—to create exciting and engaging new work specifically for the biennial.

“Performa invites artists to take their work in entirely new directions,” Goldberg explains, “and in each case, the results have been riveting. The Performa Commissions have had a great impact on contemporary art and have also generated enormous interest in performance art around the globe.”

Image: iona rozeal brown, ana rogu, sentinel (After Yoshitoshi’s “Moon on the Southern Sea”), 2008. Mixed media on panel. Private Collection. Courtesy the artist.

www.collaborativecity.tumblr.com

To read the press release, click here.

Performa is pleased to announce The Collaborative City, an online project hosted on Tumblr, to be launched during the New Museum’s Festival of Ideas for the New City. The Collaborative City will launch on Wednesday, May 4, 2011 at www.collaborativecity.tumblr.com and will continue after the festival is over. The project will also be accessible in the New Museum’s lobby during the festival, which runs May 4–8, 2011.

The Collaborative City is an online project created by Performa that brings together the Performa Consortium to create a visual portrait of downtown New York, both past and future. An ongoing collaborative reel of images, video, drawings, sound, and text will highlight the extraordinary composite of the creative concentration that is New York City. Beginning May 4th, Performa’s Consortium will contribute historical and recent materials that they feel paint a picture of collaboration and experimentation in the history and spirit of downtown. This material will continue to be generated during and after the festival and will become an online archive for the public to view.

When Performa’s first biennial launched in 2005, it established a new model for collaboration that promotes cultural activism and radical urbanism. Working collectively with a consortium of over 40 arts and cultural organizations, Performa has created a lively dialogue through different disciplines working and thinking together. This collaboration creates an exciting cultural atmosphere, a unique cross-pollination “think tank”, and creates new connections between organizations and arts professionals. Part of the success of Performa’s biennials has been its partnership with other organizations and the ability to work together and share ideas and resources. Performa’s model for collaboration has gone on to influence other arts comminutes around the world.

The Festival of Ideas for the New City, May 4–8, 2011, is a major new collaborative initiative in New York involving scores of Downtown organizations, from universities to arts institutions and community groups, working together to effect change. A first for New York, the Festival will harness the power of the creative community to imagine the future city and explore the ideas destined to shape it. It will take place in multiple venues Downtown and is organized around three central programs: a conference of symposia; an innovative StreetFest along the Bowery; and over one hundred independent projects and public events. The Festival will serve as a platform for artists, writers, architects, engineers, designers, urban farmers, planners, and thought leaders to exchange ideas, propose solutions, and invite the public to participate.

On Saturday, April 16th RoseLee Goldberg was honored at ArtTable’s 30th Anniversary gala. The gala took place at the Museum of Modern Art where Ms. Goldberg was honored along with 29 other women leaders in the field of visual arts as well as 30 women artists. ArtTable is the leading American association of professional women in the arts and the event celebrated the 30th anniversary of ArtTable and the organization’s annual conference.

During the celebration, each honoree presented their pick for an up and coming woman in the arts to watch. Ms. Goldberg chose independent curator Gabi Ngcobo from South Africa.

Each of the honorees was also awarded a special work by renowned conceptual artist Jenny Holzer created in honor of ArtTable’s thirty years of advancing women’s leadership in the visual arts.

Gabi Ngcobo is an independent curator and educator based in Johannesburg, South Africa. Her curatorial projects include collaborative and individual projects. Projects include Second to None at Iziko South African National Gallery, Olvida quen soy/ Erase me from who I am at CAAM, Canary Islands, Las Palmas 2006, Titled/Untitled, a curatorial collaboration with Cape Town based collective Gugulective and Scratching the Surface Vol.1 a manje-manje projects initiative at the AVA Gallery, Cape Town. In 2010 Ngcobo co-curated rope-a-dope: to win a losing war at Cabinet, New York, Second Coming, a curatorial collaboration at the Center for Curatorial Studies, Bard College and Just How Cold Was It? at ‘6-8 Months’ project space, New York City.  She recently co-founded the “Center for Historical Reenactments” (CHR) an independent platform based in Johannesburg and under the CHR umbrella curated “PASS-AGES: references & footnotes” at the old Pass Office, Johannesburg and an ongoing project titled Xenoglossia, a research project which will travel to the 11th Lyon Biennale in September 2011. Ngcobo is a graduate of the Centre for Curatorial Studies, Bard College, New York, she has recently been appointed as a lecturer at the Wits University School of Arts, Johannesburg.  Ngcobo’s writings have been published in a number of publications, catalogues and art journals.

Tuesday, April 12, 2011, 6:30-7:30 pm

Grandoff Center for the Creative Arts, Studio 1
154 Angell Street, Providence, Rhode Island

Join us in the Granoff Center, Studio 1 for the final lecture in the Brown/RISD Curatorial Lecture Series. RoseLee Goldberg, founder and director of Performa, will give a talk titled Curating the Future: Performa Commissions. She will discuss Performa’s commitment to commissioning new performances by the visual artists of the 21st century, the development process of performance art, and her role as curator of the Performa Biennial.

For more information, click here.

Performa Presents Staging Language

Featuring artists Adam Pendleton, Frances Stark, and writer Tom McCarthy
Introduction and moderated by Mark Beasley, Performa Curator

March 28, 2011, 6:30 pm

Fredrick P. Rose Auditorium, Cooper Union
41 Cooper Square, Lower Level 1, New York City

Admission is FREE. Reservations are recommended.
RSVP notforsale@performa-arts.org

To read the press release, click here.

For Performa’s upcoming Not For Sale lecture, Staging Language, artists Adam Pendleton, Frances Stark, and writer Tom McCarthy will present projects that stage language in material form and ask, “What is borrowed from performance in this work?” Introduced and moderated by Performa curator Mark Beasley.

Adam Pendleton will speak on his Performa 07 Commission The Revival (2007), which employed the ecstatic language of gospel, and his recent video, BAND (2009), a film constructed in the manner of a text. Frances Stark will discuss how she pulls snippets from literature, pop songs, and her own writing to rearticulate them in posters, publications, and theatrical lectures. Tom McCarthy will discuss his involvement with the International Necronautical Society, founded by the writer in 1999, which “inhabits and appropriates a variety of art forms and cultural movements,” as well as his novels including Remainder (Vintage, 2007).

Co-hosted by NYU Steinhardt Department of Art and Art Professions and The School of Art at The Cooper Union.

Adam Pendleton (b. 1984, Richmond, Virginia) is a New York-based conceptual artist who is best known for his painting, publishing, and performance projects that investigate the potential of language to shape subjects and re-engage history.  Major exhibitions include BAND, The Kitchen, New York (2010); Greater New York, MoMA/PS1, Long Island City, New York (2010); The Generational: Younger Than Jesus, New Museum, New York (2010); Performa 07, New York (2007); Manifesta 7, Trentino-South Tyrol, Italy (2008); Object, The Undeniable Success of Operations, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam (2008); Hey Hey Glossolalia, Creative Time, New York (2008); Manifesto Marathon, The Serpentine Gallery, London (2008); and Double Consciousness: Black Conceptual Art Since the 1970s, Contemporary Arts Museum, Houston, Texas (2005).

Los Angeles-based, Frances Stark (b. 1967, Newport Beach, California) is a writer and artist. She has presented work internationally at MIT List Visual Arts Center, Cambridge, MA (2010); The Artist’s Museum, The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (2009); Nottingham Contemporary, Nottingham, UK (2009); Whitney Biennial, New York (2008); Culturgest, Lisbon (2008); van Abbe Museum, Eindoven, The Netherlands (2007); Learn to Read, Tate Modern, London (2007); and Artpace, San Antonio, TX (2006). Stark’s writings have appeared in exhibition catalogues and art publications such as Artforum, Freize, and Parkett.

Tom McCarthy (b. 1969, London, England) is a writer and artist whose work has been translated into more than twenty languages. His first novel, Remainder (Vintage, 2007), won the 2007 Believer Book Award and is currently being adapted for film; his second, C (Knopf, 2010), was a finalist in the 2010 Man Booker Prize. McCarthy is also Founder and General Secretary of the International Necronautical Society (INS), a semi-fictitious avant-garde network of writers, artists, philosophers and political activists that surfaces from time to time via publications, proclamations, denunciations, and gallery exhibitions.

About Not For Sale
Not For Sale is an ongoing public education series presented by Performa that features artists, authors, curators, and critics discussing current issues in performance and new media, and the related task of writing about art and artists whose work encompasses several disciplines at once.