Artists Space

Abasement #88

Concert
July 20, 2026, 7pm

Performances by Hairbone, Oliver Ackermann, You-On, and Keith Fullerton Whitman & Chuck Bettis. DJ Eric Wrenn. Visuals by Wavefield. Projections by Bradley Eros.

Magazine cut-outs and ink drawings are collaged together on a background of yellow, orange, blue, and red paper. Small pieces of paper with typewritten text listing the performers and event details are scattered around the flyer.
Flyer by Joe Frivaldi. [Magazine cut-outs and ink drawings are collaged together on a background of yellow, orange, blue, and red paper. Small pieces of paper with typewritten text listing the performers and event details are scattered around the flyer.]

Abasement is a music series featuring performances, a guest DJ, and a projectionist. Beginning in 2015 at Max Fish bar in New York's Lower East Side, the evening brings together artists and bands working in free improvisation, jazz, noise, minimalism, and experimental composition. When Max Fish permanently closed due to Covid, one of the few experimental music venues in Manhattan temporarily ceased to exist. Artists Space is pleased to continue presenting Abasement.

The sides of two performers are seen on stage as they stand at opposite ends of a table. They both gaze downwards where their hands adjust knobs on mixing boards. A yellow, red, orange, pink, green, purple, and white abstract pixelated projection shines on the performers and the wall behind.
Abasement #88. Performance documentation, July 20th, 2026, Artists Space. Photo: Joshua Wildman. [The sides of two performers are seen on stage as they stand at opposite ends of a table. They both gaze downwards where their hands adjust knobs on mixing boards. A yellow, red, orange, pink, green, purple, and white abstract pixelated projection shines on the performers and the wall behind.]
Two performers stand at opposite ends of a table as they gaze downwards to adjust knobs on mixing boards. One performer
Abasement #88. Performance documentation, July 20th, 2026, Artists Space. Photo: Joshua Wildman. [Two performers stand at opposite ends of a table as they gaze downwards to adjust knobs on mixing boards. One performer's back faces the camera, while the other performer's face can been seen. A yellow, red, orange, pink, green, purple, and white abstract pixelated projection shines on the right side of the wall behind and an orange-tinted close-up image of a human eye shines on the left.]
Two performers stand at opposite ends of a table as they gaze downwards to adjust knobs on mixing boards. One performer
Abasement #88. Performance documentation, July 20th, 2026, Artists Space. Photo: Joshua Wildman. [Two performers stand at opposite ends of a table as they gaze downwards to adjust knobs on mixing boards. One performer's back faces the camera, while the other performer's face can been seen. Rows of audience members are seen as rays of blue stage light shine in from the left. A projection of a man's face illuminates the back wall behind the audience.]
Two seated performers face each other on stage. The left performer plays the drums and the right performer plays a keyboard. An abstract yellow, red, and green projection shines on them and the wall behind.
Abasement #88. Performance documentation, July 20th, 2026, Artists Space. Photo: Joshua Wildman. [Two seated performers face each other on stage. The left performer plays the drums and the right performer plays a keyboard. An abstract yellow, red, and green projection shines on them and the wall behind.]
On the left, a seated performer looks down as they play the keyboard. On the right, rows of audience members are seated on chairs and along the right wall. On the left side of the wall behind, a projection of a figure with long orange hair surrounded by murky clouds is juxtaposed by an abstract purple and yellow design. White dots of light speckle the space around.
Abasement #88. Performance documentation, July 20th, 2026, Artists Space. Photo: Joshua Wildman. [On the left, a seated performer looks down as they play the keyboard. On the right, rows of audience members are seated on chairs and along the right wall. On the left side of the wall behind, a projection of a figure with long orange hair surrounded by murky clouds is juxtaposed by an abstract purple and yellow design. White dots of light speckle the space around.]
The backside of a seated performer playing drums is seen in focus on the right. On the left, out of focus, a seated performer plays the keyboard. In the background, faces of audience members are visible. The space is speckled with small dots of white light.
Abasement #88. Performance documentation, July 20th, 2026, Artists Space. Photo: Joshua Wildman. [The backside of a seated performer playing drums is seen in focus on the right. On the left, out of focus, a seated performer plays the keyboard. In the background, faces of audience members are visible. The space is speckled with small dots of white light.]
A seated performer rests a rugged bright red electric guitar on their leg while holding a walkie talkie in their right hand. Their face is turned to the left as they look down to the neck of the guitar. A purple and white projection shines on the performer and the wall behind. Several audience members stand in the background watching.
Abasement #88. Performance documentation, July 20th, 2026, Artists Space. Photo: Joshua Wildman. [A seated performer rests a rugged bright red electric guitar on their leg while holding a walkie talkie in their right hand. Their face is turned to the left as they look down to the neck of the guitar. A purple and white projection shines on the performer and the wall behind. Several audience members stand in the background watching.]
A performer kneels on stage with their eyes closed as they hold a thin metal sheet over their mouth. They are surrounded by amps, speakers, and mixing boards. An abstract yellow, blue, grey, and white projection shines on them and the wall behind.
Abasement #88. Performance documentation, July 20th, 2026, Artists Space. Photo: Joshua Wildman. [A performer kneels on stage with their eyes closed as they hold a thin metal sheet over their mouth. They are surrounded by amps, speakers, and mixing boards. An abstract yellow, blue, grey, and white projection shines on them and the wall behind.]
A seated performer grips the neck of a rugged bright red electric guitar in their left hand while holding a circular saw to the strings in their right hand. In the background, rows of seated audience members are seen smiling, and several hold their phones up to record. The space is speckled with small dots of white light.
Abasement #88. Performance documentation, July 20th, 2026, Artists Space. Photo: Joshua Wildman. [A seated performer grips the neck of a rugged bright red electric guitar in their left hand while holding a circular saw to the strings in their right hand. In the background, rows of seated audience members are seen smiling, and several hold their phones up to record. The space is speckled with small dots of white light.]
A performer on the left wears sunglasses as they play a drum pad, and a performer on the right holds a microphone to their mouth as they look down to a music stand. A blue, yellow, pink, purple, and green cloud-like pattern is projected onto the performers and the wall behind.
Abasement #88. Performance documentation, July 20th, 2026, Artists Space. Photo: Joshua Wildman. [A performer on the left wears sunglasses as they play a drum pad, and a performer on the right holds a microphone to their mouth as they look down to a music stand. A blue, yellow, pink, purple, and green cloud-like pattern is projected onto the performers and the wall behind.]
On the left, the top half of a performer is seen wearing sunglasses with their hair falling in front of their face. On the right, a shirtless performer is seen from the waist-up as they stand in front of a column with their eyes closed and microphone to their mouth. A blue, yellow, pink, purple, and green cloud-like pattern is projected onto the performers and the wall behind.
Abasement #88. Performance documentation, July 20th, 2026, Artists Space. Photo: Joshua Wildman. [On the left, the top half of a performer is seen wearing sunglasses with their hair falling in front of their face. On the right, a shirtless performer is seen from the waist-up as they stand in front of a column with their eyes closed and microphone to their mouth. A blue, yellow, pink, purple, and green cloud-like pattern is projected onto the performers and the wall behind.]
The face of a shirtless performer holding a microphone to their mouth is seen from a low angle. Their mouth is open wide as they look outwards. A green, yellow, and blue projection shines on them and the wall behind. A bright bar of yellow light shines on the left.
Abasement #88. Performance documentation, July 20th, 2026, Artists Space. Photo: Joshua Wildman. [The face of a shirtless performer holding a microphone to their mouth is seen from a low angle. Their mouth is open wide as they look outwards. A green, yellow, and blue projection shines on them and the wall behind. A bright bar of yellow light shines on the left.]

Hairbone is the New York-based power duo of artists Raúl de Nieves and Jessie Stead. For over a decade, Hairbone has inflicted their carnivalesque live shows everywhere from the Metropolitan Museum of Art to dozens of ephemeral basement venues worldwide. Each unique, narrative multimedia performance features frontman de Nieves inhabiting new personae in a sculptural actionist mode, brandishing oversized, text-emblazoned props like picket signs, synthesized with layers of Stead’s synthetic percussion and tangled electronic sampling. A protest music without didacticism, Hairbone often proceeds to destroy their own constructions as their improvised, near-opera burlesque freak shows unfurl.

Oliver Ackermann is an American musician, producer, and sound designer best known as the founder and frontman of A Place To Bury Strangers and the founder of the acclaimed effects company Death By Audio. For more than two decades, his work has occupied a singular space at the intersection of experimental music, noise, post-punk, and shoegaze, earning him recognition as one of the most innovative voices in contemporary underground music. Born in Allentown, Pennsylvania, Ackermann developed an early fascination with electronics and sound manipulation, a pursuit that would shape both his artistic and technical practice. Through A Place To Bury Strangers, he has built an international reputation for immersive recordings and transformative live performances that explore the physical and emotional extremes of sound. As the founder of Death By Audio, Ackermann has designed groundbreaking audio tools used by musicians worldwide, establishing the company as one of the most respected names in independent effects design. His broader work encompasses production, collaboration, instrument design, a DIY venue, and a longstanding commitment to experimental culture and artistic innovation. Whether performing, building instruments, or creating new sonic environments, Ackermann's work is driven by a continuous exploration of the possibilities of sound, technology, and perception.

You-On is a collaboration between Masami Tomihisa and Jim White. Their first album New Side was released June 2026 on 12XU. Abasement will be their second live performance. Masami Tomihisa is a pianist, composer and improviser based in New York City. She is also half of the duo Masaaki. Ecological concerns prevent us from publishing drummer Jim White’s entire associated discography; his most recent solo album, his second such LP for Drag City, Inner Day was released in the Autumn of 2025.

Keith Fullerton Whitman is a performer of “Live” Electronic Music based in Fort Greene, Brooklyn; his work is governed by the outcome of ongoing experiments with Generative & Algorithmic frameworks in both the Analog & Digital Domains, blurring the lines between improvisation & composition while openly embracing an agnostic & (often) contrarian approach to setting & genre.

Chuck Bettis was raised in the fertile harDCore soil, nourished within Baltimore's enigmatic avant garde gatherings, and currently blossoming in New York's experimental realms. His unique blend of electronics and throat has led him into various collaborations with great musicians from around the globe.

Eric Wrenn is an art director based in New York. He has been collecting records since 1997.

Wavefield is a collaborative DIY art organization focused on polymedia and video art.

Bradley Eros, as always, (since the very beginning of Abasement (.001)) will project their "hand-made" analog slides, and/or film ~ all night long! *** "eau de cinema", 'musique plastique', "philosophical jaywalker", "Eros C'est L'amour!"

Abasement has been curated by Joseph Frivaldi and Robert Mayson since 2015.