This final public event in the Talks series reflects on the year’sÌýBMWÌýTate Live programme. It addresses some of the central thoughts and observations emerging from the inter-disciplinary debates around the nature of the performative and live art in order to identify possible future trajectories for performance in this highly mediatedÌýdigitalÌýage.
How can performative actions and events challenge the existing social and cultural histories of performance and begin to write and perform new ones? In what ways can performance act as a vehicle to connect audiences and artists around the world? In the future, what relevance doesÌýperformanceÌýhave?Ìý
Defne Ayas is the Director of the Witte de With Center for Contemporary Art in Rotterdam. During her directorship, Witte de With commissionedÌýDai Hanzhi: 5000 ArtistsÌý(withÌýUCCA, Beijing, 2014);ÌýModeration(s)Ìýby artist Heman Chong (with Spring Workshop, Hong Kong, 2012–2014);ÌýThe HumansÌý–Ìýa theatrical play by writer and artist Alexandre Singh – and its monthly summitsÌýCauseriesÌý(2012–2013). Ayas co-founded Arthub Asia in 2007 – an Asia-wide active research and production initiative – producing a number of projects includingÌýDouble InfinityÌý(with Van Abbemuseum 2010) andÌýRMBÌýCity operaÌýby Cao Fei (with Artissima, 2009). Since 2005, Ayas has also been a curator ofÌýPERFORMA, the biennial of visual art performance of New York, where she managed the biennial’s collaborative programming and organized projects and programs with an international roster of acclaimed artists, architects, curatorsÌýandÌýwriters.
BarbaraÌýClausen
Barbara Clausen is a curator and art historian living in Montreal. Since 2000 she has written extensively on performance art and performative curatorial practices and has curated numerous exhibitions and performance series in Europe as well as North America, including the seriesÌýAfter the Act,ÌýWieder und Wider/AgainÌýandAgainst and Push and PullÌý(2005–2011) atÌýMUMOKÌýin Vienna and É«¿Ø´«Ã½, as well as Babette Mangolte a retrospective (2013 atÌýVOX) andÌýSTAGEÌýSETÌýSTAGEOn Identity and Institutionalism (2014 atÌýSBC)ÌýinÌýMontreal.