Los Angeles…Coinciding with its 30th anniversary in 2022, Hauser & Wirth is proud to re-affirm its longstanding commitment to live performance by inaugurating The Performance Project, an ambitious initiative conceived to further foreground the performing arts and explore relationships between the myriad forms of path-breaking creative expression that engage the artists of our time.
In a newly dedicated space at Hauser & Wirth’s Downtown Los Angeles Arts District location, Season One of The Performance Project will begin 29 October and bring together local and international talents. Highlights will include:
Martin Creed – The US premiere of his award-winning performance LIFE IS SOFT
Okwui Okpokwasili – A debut work by the American multidisciplinary artist, writer, choreographer and MacArthur Fellow
Yesika Salgado and San Cha – A collaborative performance featuring poetry and music
The House of AWT, curated by the Iconic Sean/Milan GarconTM – A five-category Vogue Ball featuring 30+ House/Ballroom artists
GABE, featuring a musical collaboration from EJ Hill, Jeffrey Michael Austin, DonChristian Jones and Morgan Bassichis
Kathryn Garcia – An immersive healing environment including a new film and sculptures
The Woman’s Building – A program on feminist art practices in Los Angeles
Autumn Breon – A performance by the Afro-surrealist artist and freedom seeker
Wu Tsang – The West Coast premiere of ‘MOBY DICK; or, The Whale,’ featuring a live orchestra and a new project from Jeremy O. Harris
Encompassing music, dance, film, readings and public conversations, this expansive initiative will include but consistently reach beyond the gallery’s roster of represented artists to showcase many performing arts visionaries, with a special focus on greater visibility for BIPOC and LGBTQ+ voices. The Performance Project’s inaugural season will continue Hauser & Wirth’s practice of offering audiences free and accessible public programs.
Marc Payot, President of Hauser & Wirth, commented:
‘Performance has been essential to the gallery’s life since the beginning, and we’ve presented hundreds of events across our various spaces in thirty years. Our artists set our agenda, and many of them – from Louise Bourgeois, Sophie Taeuber-Arp, Fabio Mauri, and Jason Rhoades to Paul McCarthy, Gary Simmons, Martin Creed, to name a few – have considered performance critical to their ongoing explorations. In addition to inheriting, along with them, the modernist legacy of experimental music, poetry, theater, dance and public discourse as key to the evolution of visual art, Hauser & Wirth also considers new and time-honored works in these various mediums to be another great way to pursue one of our primary goals: we seek ways to fully engage and contribute to the ongoing cultural dialogues in the communities where we work.’
Since opening its doors in 2016, Hauser & Wirth Los Angeles has hosted over a thousand public programs, including over fifty dynamic performances of dance, theater and music. As a vibrant and multifaceted cultural energy center, the gallery’s LA space has fostered collaborations between illustrious artists and local and global companies like the Los Angeles Philharmonic; Los Angeles Dance Project; and Trisha Brown Dance Company. Past programming highlights include an historic re-envisioning of David Hammons’ 2000 ‘Global Fax Festival’ with Monday Evening Concerts; an afternoon reading series by artists, poets, critics and curators inspired by Zoe Leonard’s text work ‘I want a president’; a months-long activation of Gary Simmons’ sculptural installation ‘Recapturing Memories of the Black Ark,’ featuring numerous acts including dance legend Savion Glover; a night celebrating Mike Kelley’s experimental artwork with music by three anti-rock noise bands Extended Organ, Lonely Street and telecaves; and the first ever live musical performance of Charles Gaines’ ‘Manifestos 3’ performed by acclaimed pianist Richard Valitutto; among others.
Stacen Berg, Partner and head of Hauser & Wirth’s Los Angeles activities, commented:
‘From its very inception, Hauser & Wirth Los Angeles has worked to build a home for our artists and support meaningful connections with our district’s and city’s diverse communities. The Performance Project will build upon our longstanding commitment to exceptional live performance programs that connect the gallery and our communities to the greatest creative minds here in LA and beyond. We are thrilled to present homegrown and international artists, and welcome the public to join us in experiencing the provocative, enchanting and perspective-broadening magic of creative live expression.’
To learn more about The Performance Project, including program and ticketing information, please visit hauserwirth.com/theperformanceproject.
About Hauser & Wirth Los Angeles
Hauser & Wirth opened its Los Angeles location in 2016 in the heart of the burgeoning Downtown Arts District at 901 East 3rd Street. Occupying the former Globe Mills flour mill complex, Hauser & Wirth Los Angeles presents art exhibitions, events and learning activities which connect with the local community in a vibrant architectural space.
This winter Hauser & Wirth will expand its Los Angeles presence by opening a second location in West Hollywood. Located at 8980 Santa Monica Boulevard, the new venue will be housed in the site of a former vintage automobile sales showroom housed in a Spanish Colonial Revival style building.
