DC performance
past
verdigris ensemble: beautification
friday, 27 - sunday, 29 october 2023
verdigris ensemble unites with dallas contemporary for this co-commission, bringing a memorable collaboration inspired by the museum’s site-specific fall exhibition with visual artist bianca bondi. taking cues from ladybird johnson’s highway beautification act, which aimed to protect native plants from billboards along stretches of texas highway, bondi presents a monumental artificial landscape representing the struggle between the natural and commercial world. using the exhibition as inspiration, verdigris ensemble is commissioning a group of women composers to weave together a narrative about lady bird johnson’s efforts, comparing her actions to the resilient native flowers of texas. the production will feature innovative lighting and projections to mimic the experience of highway driving alongside archive audio of ladybird’s speeches.
CHRISTEENE
saturday, 04 november 2023
as an ancillary program with the DC exhibition chloe chiasson: keep left at the fork, which depicts queer figures in texan landscapes, and in light of the state of texas’s recent legislations against the lgbtqi+ community, dallas contemporary presents CHRISTEENE.
CHRISTEENE is the dazzling alter ego of the multi-talented paul soileau. with a knack for pushing boundaries and embracing the unconventional, CHRISTEENE is a riotous force of nature, bringing chaos and artistry to the stage.
the artist has gathered tremendous critical acclaim for her high-octane, radical creative vision that continues to destroy all notions of normality. spin magazine has called CHRISTEENE “a manic combination of alice cooper and hedwig (of the angry inch),” and interview called her “...a feral, sexualized creature that takes a blowtorch to every norm society has to offer.”
CHRISTEENE “...injects both hip-hop and gay culture with a much needed dose of punk-rock humor and attitude,” said the new yorker.
at the heart of CHRISTEENE, though, says dazed magazine, even though she may shock, “her real message is one of joy and love.”
iconoclastic designer rick owens (one of her longtime collaborators and friends) states, “CHRISTEENE to me represents the joy of abandon – abandoning hypocrisy and indulging your id and your primal instincts that are very innocent and very charming… christeene is theater, a composition of commedia dell’arte, kabuki, busby berkeley hollywood musicals… she counters false prudishness, false rules.”
about CHRISTEENE | CHRISTEENE is a raw spirit of ferocious music, unabashed sexuality, and fiery intimate stank. reports from live shows describe raw and intimate exchanges, distressed choreography, macabre scenes involving butt plugs tied to bouquets of balloons being released from the singer’s ass, wardrobes styled from the forgotten scraps of society, and heated sermons on the state of the world as we know it. the artist has collaborated with, as well as performed with, numerous acclaimed musicians, including faith no more, peaches, fever ray, john grant, kembra pfahler, suicide, roddy bottum, tribe 8, narcissister, marc almond, bronski beat, and justin vivian bond. longtime collaborators include award winning filmmaker pj raval, along with iconic fashion designer rick owens and artist michèle lamy. christeene has been photographed by juergen teller, katerina jebb, matt lambert and wolfgang tillmans, and featured in magazines such as another, noisey, dazed, artforum, spin, vice, numero, the new yorker, interview, man about town.
image: CHRISTEENE at dallas contemporary. photo: jovian moons photography
matty davis + ben gould: carriage bearance severance
friday, 20 october 2023
davis and gould’s work together began as an investigation of reliance, control, and care. matty davis is an artist and choreographer engaged in collaborative, embodied explorations of the tension between our fragility and our fortitude. his work frequently uses choreography as an instrument to cultivate high-stakes relationships—ranging from the interpersonal to the cosmic—that push himself and others to creatively face and negotiate forces that drive some of the most important parts of our lives: trust, risk, love, empathy, commitment, and responsibility. after the sudden and late development of tourette syndrome, ben gould’s practice adapted to harbor an investment in the body - exploring loss of control, resistance, and energy systems within and outside our physiology. within a growing mythos shaped through personal medical procedures, the history of disability treatment, and the embodiment of new narratives constructed through making, a space for fantasy and freedom is created in his work - opposing the rigidity of physical limitation and societal norm. with the body as a source, gould’s multidisciplinary practice is driven by his neurological condition, providing a choreographic motor and ideological framework for projects ranging from site-specific performances to sculpture and film.
this will be the us museum premiere of carriage bearance severance. the work was previously performed at palais de tokyo, bozar, carnegie mellon’s miller ica, human resources, the chicago cultural center, open spaces, creative growth, queenslab, as well as at a former military battery, in a limestone cave network, and aboard a moving vessel on the chicago river.
about matty davis | over the last decade, matty’s work has been presented by various institutions in the us and abroad, in addition to many intentional site-specific locations integral to the meaning of a given work, from mountains to hurricane-churned shorelines, living rooms to the gritty concrete of new york city. institutionally, his work has been presented by the art institute of chicago, the museum of contemporary art chicago, the momentary (bentonville, ar), the ica miller at carnegie mellon university (pittsburgh, pa), the fine arts center at the university of arkansas, the anderson at virginia commonwealth university, kanal centre pompidou (brussels), bozar (brussels), the palais de tokyo (paris), the arts arena (paris), the max ernst museum (brühl), pioneer works (nyc), steppenwolf theater (chicago), among others. he is the author of six books, and since 2021 has been trailblazing a new form, “performance arranged for print,” with long-standing publishing collaborator matt wolff. as part of his collaborative practice, he has worked with artists including hito steyerl, writers will arbery and chloé cooper jones, and many other folks across the vocational spectrum: surgeons, carpenters, aviators, athletes, environmentalists…he loves to teach and work with people of all ages and ability levels, and has done so at many different colleges, universities, schools, and organizations. for more information: www.mattydavis.net
about ben gould | gould has exhibited work and performed site-specific projects throughout the country, from varied landscapes to institutional spaces - such as a hydroelectric power plant in new york, a quarry in illinois, a limestone mine in kansas city, a bunker in the marin headlands, and a moving vessel on the chicago river. gould received his bfa from the kansas city art institute in 2015, apprenticed with master craftsmen in california, and was a 2015 ox-bow fellow. he was an artist in residence at queenslab in new york city in 2018, a foundation for contemporary arts emergency grant recipient, a 2019 haystack open studio resident, a 2020 lighton international artists exchange program grant recipient, and a 2021 nyfa fellow in interdisciplinary work. most recently, gould has been presented by and shown new works and performances at kanal centre pompidou (brussels, belgium), liberal arts roxbury (ny), bozar (brussels, belgium), and the center for craft (asheville, nc), palais de tokyo (paris, france), the tarble arts center (charleston, il), and lyles & king (nyc).
image: ben gould and matty davis performing carriage bearance severance. photo by steven visneau for dallas contemporary.
verdigris ensemble: the endangered
friday, 27 - sunday, 29 october 2023
‘the endangered’ highlights cultural efforts to preserve the planet and showcases stunning images of plants and animals, along with music and poetry created by local artists. composer sarah kirkland snider's mass for the endangered, which celebrates and mourns the natural world, centers the series. the mass urges people to be more aware of environmental issues and take action, and draws on musical styles that encourage contemplation of non-human life. the mass is accompanied by segments of edie hill’s spectral spirits and three world premiere compositions by samuel k. sweet (dallas), kyle brenn (nyc), and anuj bhutani (dallas), documenting five primary endangered species endemic to the region: greasewood moth, eskimo curlew, passenger pigeon, whooping crane, and black-capped vireo.
anuj bhutani, making his verdigris ensemble compositional debut, documents the black-capped vireo. using the natural sounds of the bird, bhutani illustrates a tapestry of sounds, from beautiful harmonic melodies to surprising extended vocal techniques. bhutani, winner of verdigris’ 2019 ion composer competition, is a local composer and a quickly emerging talent in the national new music industry. recent accolades include being awarded chamber music america’s classical commissioning grant and first prize of the ascap morton gould young composer award.
verdigris artistic director sam brukhman recounts how bhutani’s early work laid a unique pathway for his return to verdigris: “anuj bhutani was a rising talent we knew we’d end up seeing again someday. world premiering his work with the full ensemble this october is a testament both to his growth but also a step forward for us in highlighting the depth of dallas culture.”
‘the endangered’ is a multi-sensory experience with music supported by visual projections created by courtney ware. utilizing the unique aspects of dallas contemporary’s industrial architecture, ware will project onto a 110-foot wide wall using artificial intelligence technology to generate scenes and videos that immerse audiences directly into the story narrative of the endangered animals of our city and state. curating image and video through artistic partnership with dallas contemporary, the use of artificial intelligence illustrates a storytelling narrative arc that will envelop audiences.
about verdigris ensemble | verdigris ensemble is a choral ensemble with the vision to transform our world through the alchemy of stories and the power of the human voice, and the mission to create a new music movement by commissioning works and incorporating various genres to tell compelling stories, to invest in diverse vocal musicians through music education and community infrastructure development, and to redefine vocal music through creative programming and technological innovation.
image: verdigris ensemble: carriage bearance severance. photo by rachel hill photography