Artists Performed All Night at Performa’s Opening Night Gala

How does a performance art organization celebrate its 10th biennial? With many, many performances, of course.

Performa, the organization founded nearly twenty years ago by RoseLee Goldberg, is dedicated to the curation, support, and proliferation of performance arts. Goldberg and her team operate as curators, producers, collaborators, educators, and publishers of performance art. The institution is best known for its biennial, a biannual “museum without walls,” where artists’ works are commissioned in venues across New York City.

“Art brings us into close proximity to culture and politics in a way that nothing else does,” Goldberg told Vogue. “Everything we make is made in such a way that, frankly, I get blown away. I want people to be as moved as I am. I should be so used to this by now, but I get astonished by what artists produce. My guarantee is that you will be astonished.”

In celebration of the 10th Performa Biennial from November 1–19, the organization hosted its Opening Night Gala in a SoHo loft. Vignettes throughout the evening evoked the 1970s artistic era in SoHo. As guests entered 52 Mercer Street, a Fluxus Street Theater-inspired installation featured a pianist playing while a second artist painted the piano, next to a string instrumentalist covered in strings. This piece set the tone for the rest of the night.

Goldberg, who wore an architectural threeASFOUR black dress, welcomed the cast of creatives like Marilyn Minter, Cindy Sherman, Rachel Feinstein, and Maurizio Catalan into the loft space. Brick walls and the high tin ceiling transported guests back to the historic SoHo of the 1970s, though the fashion was anything but dated or referential. The party’s attire called for “Conceptual Art: The Colors of the Mind,” so needless to say, this was not your average black-tie gala. Mixed shades of clashing colors and geometric patterns presented as wearable art in situ. Swatches of fuschia, teal, sunburnt orange, and highlighter yellow appeared almost performative in nature.

As guests sat down for the SoHo-inspired dinner catered by BITE, dancers dressed in all white from the Trisha Brown Dance Company performed early works atop pedestals. Attendees like Nate Berkus, Yvonne Rainer, Dustin Yellin, and Moses Sumney watched on as the avant-garde dancers performed. Meanwhile, across the loft space, honoree Gaetano Pesce’s workshop team worked hastily with colored resin to create a one-of-a-kind large-scale lamp, transfixing all in attendance.

Many performance artists were in attendance, including longtime Performa collaborator and gala honoree Derrick Adams. “Performa really helped to center my creative practice today, starting with their support. Performa focuses on exposure, nurturing, and support for artists, some who have never done a performance. Everything I do is performative,” Adams told Vogue.

Following the seated dinner, guests wended their way a few blocks south to the cavernous Performa Hub, where live music and ongoing performances continued late into the night.