Performa 09

Performa 09

• Fisherspooner; Photograph: © Luke Guilford, Courtesy of Performa735.ar.performa.01.jpg534981
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• Arto Lindsay; Photograph: Courtesy of Performa735.ar.performa.03.jpg535003
• Omer Fast; Photograph: Courtesy of Performa735.ar.performa.04.jpg535014
• Wangechi Mutu; Photograph: Courtesy of Performa735.ar.performa.05.jpg535025
• Mike Kelley; Photograph: Courtesy of Performa735.ar.performa.06.jpg535036
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• Christian Tomaszewski and Joanna Malinowska; Photograph: Courtesy of Performa735.ar.performa.09.jpg535058
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• Guy Ben-Ner; Photograph: Courtesy of Performa735.ar.performa.10.jpg5350710
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• 735.ar.performa.12.jpg5350912
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Fisherspooner; Photograph: © Luke Guilford, Courtesy of Performa

Fischerspooner
Inbetween Worlds
Casey Spooner and Warren Fischer, the electroclash-turned-conceptualist duo, kick off Performa 09 with this theatrical deconstruction of pop spectacle created in conjunction with their album Entertainment. Expect references to everything from Japanese theater to the U.S. space program. Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) 11 W 53rd St between Fifth and Sixth Aves (212-708-9400, moma.org). Subway: B, D, F, V to 47–50th Sts–Rockefeller Ctr; E, V to Fifth Ave–53rd St. (Sun 1 at 6pm; $20, Performa members $16, seniors and students $10.)

Arto Lindsay
SOMEWHERE I READ
Who doesn’t love a parade, especially one with a marching band? Musician Arto Lindsay offers both with this “multidisciplinary procession” down Seventh Avenue, featuring 50 performers playing music specially composed for cell phones. Duffy Square Seventh Ave between 46th and 47th Sts (no phone). Subway: N, Q, R, W, 42nd St S, 1, 2, 3, 7 to 42nd St–Times Sq. (Sun 1 at 8pm, free.)

Omer Fast
Talk Show
Imagine a game of telephone by way of Montel Williams—with geopolitics thrown in. Israeli artist Omer Fast will have a group of people recount personal memories of global events, who will then have their “confessionals” retold by a series of actors, each one increasingly removed from the original story. Abrons Arts Center at Henry Street Settlement 466 Grand St at Pitt St (212-598-0400, www.abronsartscenter.org). Subway: F to Delancey St; J,M,Z to Delancey–Essex Sts. (Nov 11–13 at 7pm; $20, Performa members $16.)

Wangechi Mutu
Stone Ihiga
In some countries in Africa and the Middle East, women accused of adultery are executed by “lapidation”—being stoned to death (and we don’t mean via weed). Wangechi Mutu explores this practice in an installation-performance cocreated with composer Imani Uzuri. Saatchi & Saatchi 375 Hudson St between King and W Houston Sts, enter on King St (for tickets, call 212-366-5700). Subway: 1 to Houston St. (Nov 13–15 at 9pm; $15, Performa members $10.)

Mike Kelley
Day Is Done Judson Church
Remember all those wacky extracurricular activities from high school? L.A. artist Mike Kelley recalls the good times in performances based on high-school yearbook photos, like one of 13 people on a ladder, playing horns. “Stairway to Heaven,” perhaps? Judson Memorial Church 55 Washington Sq South at Thompson St (212-477-0531). Subway: A, C, E, B, D, F, V to W 4th St. (Nov 17–19 at 8, 10pm; $25, Performa members $20.)

Christian Tomaszewski and Joanna Malinowska
Mother Earth Sister Moon
Take a trip to the future, as conceived by the former Communist regimes of Eastern Europe. Polish artists Christian Tomaszewski and Joanna Malinowska revisit the hopes and dreams engendered by Sputnik and Yuri Gagarin in this installation-cum–runway show of space-age fashion. Chashama 679 679 Third Ave at 43rd St (for tickets, call 212-366-5700). Subway: 42nd St S, 4, 5, 6, 7 to 42nd St–Grand Central. (Performances: Nov 6 at 6, 8pm; Nov 14, 21 at 8pm. $12, Performa members $10. Installation: Opening Nov 4 6–8pm; on view Tue–Sat noon–6pm through Nov 22. Free.)

Guy Ben-Ner
Untitled
The Israeli artist who used to feature his wife and kids in his videos is now a single guy dividing his time between his girlfriend in Berlin and his family in Tel Aviv. This “live film” features him talking to himself on the phone as he travels back and forth between the two cities. Performa Hub 41 Cooper Sq between 6th and 7th Sts (performa-arts.org). Subway: 6 to Astor Pl; R, W to 8th St–NYU. (Sun 1–Nov 22, 7pm; free.)

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