Radical Presence: Black Performance in Contemporary Art
This groundbreaking exhibition is the first comprehensive survey of performance art by black artists working from the perspective of the visual arts from the 1960s to the present. While black performance has been largely contextualized as an extension of theater, visual artists have integrated performance into their work for more than five decades, generating an important history that has gone largely unrecognized until now.
Presenting a rich and complex look at this important facet of contemporary art, the exhibition chronicles the emergence and development of black performance art across three generations, beginning with Fluxus and conceptual art in the early 1960s through present-day practices.
Featuring more than 100 works by some 36 artists, Radical Presence: Black Performance in Contemporary Art includes video and photo documentation of performances, scores and installations, interactive works, and artworks created as a result of performative actions. A dynamic range of performances, actions, and discussions accompany the exhibition’s run at the Walker. Catalogue available. Radical Presence contains mature subject matter.
Organized by the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston.
Curator: Valerie Cassel Oliver, Senior Curator, Contemporary Arts Museum Houston (CAMH)
Walker coordinating curator: Fionn Meade
Radical Presence Performance: Maren Hassinger
Radical Presence Performance: Pope.L’s Costume Made of Nothing
Radical Presence Performance: Benjamin Patterson
Holding Court: Northside Pop-Up Museum
Public Voices: Khary Jackson
Art School: When is performance radical?
Holding Court: Benjamin Patterson
Holding Court: Northside Pop-Up Museum
Holding Court: Ralph Lemon
Holding Court: Walker Curators Meeting
Holding Court: Coco Fusco
Holding Court: Choreographers Hold Court
Holding Court Information Session
Holding Court: Foxy Tann
Radical Presence Performance: Pope.L’s Costume Made of Nothing
Radical Presence Performance: Coco Fusco
Radical Presence Artist Talk: Coco Fusco
Panel Discussion: Performance in Practice
Radical Presence Performance: Pope.L’s Costume Made of Nothing
Radical Presence Performance: Jamal Cyrus
Holding Court: Theaster Gates
Radical Presence Performance: Pope.L’s Costume Made of Nothing
Radical Presence Performance: Pope.L’s Costume Made of Nothing
Holding Court: Students Hold Court
Holding Court: Congressman Keith Ellison
Radical Presence Performance: Pope.L’s Costume Made of Nothing
Holding Court: Andrea Jenkins
Radical Presence Performance: Trenton Doyle Hancock
Radical Presence: Opening-Day Performances & Reception
See, Sit, Sup, Sip, Sing: Holding Court