Artists Space

Ei Arakawa: Performance People Book Release &
Artist’s Reception at Social Muscle Rehab

Book Release
October 10, 2021, 6pm

A group of people dressed in black standing in the street with their hands up. Behind them, green and white fabrics on top of blue poles create a tent-like structure. The word "Riot" appears on one of the poles, written in white text over a black background.
Ei Arakawa, RIOT THE 8 BARS, nGbK, Berlin, 2007, Photo: Christin Lahr [A group of people dressed in black standing in the street with their hands up. Behind them, green and white fabrics on top of blue poles create a tent-like structure. The word "Riot" appears on one of the poles, written in white text over a black background.]

Artists Space is pleased to host a book release for Performance People, featuring mellow music provided by Artists Space staff with sporadic singing performances by 5 special guests. Performance People is Ei Arakawa's first monograph, co-published with Kunstverein für die Rheinlande und Westfalen, Düsseldorf, Germany; Koenig Books, London, 2021.

Performance People allows a profound understanding of Arakawa’s complex artistic practice. Filled with illustrations, performance scripts, notes, and sketches, the publication unfolds a kind of archive of the performances and people Arakawa has worked with for nearly twenty years. Performance People includes new textual contributions on the artist's practice by Eva Birkenstock, Sarah Chow, John Kelsey, Jutta Koether, Reiko Tomii, and an interview with Ei Arakawa by Erika Landström.

Ed. by Eva Birkenstock, Design: Lina Grumm (HIT Studio, Berlin). Softcover, 414 pages, in English. ISBN 978-3-96098-769-7. The book will be on sale at the site for $40, and the artist will be available to autograph copies.

This event serves as the artist’s reception for Ei Arakawa: Social Muscle Rehab. During the event Milford Graves: Fundamental Frequency is also open upstairs.

In keeping with New York City health advisories and in the interest of the safety of our staff and visitors, we will require following:

In adherence to the Key to NYC Mandate, guests must show proof of vaccination to enter Artists Space through the NYC COVID Safe App, Excelsior Pass, CDC Vaccination Card (or photo), NYC Vaccination Record, an official immunization record from outside NYC; staff and visitors must wear a mask at all times, use the available hand sanitizer upon entry, and practice social distancing in the space; audience capacity will be limited up to 60 people in the basement and no food or drinks will be served.

We ask that you do not visit Artists Space if you are experiencing any symptoms associated with COVID-19, have tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 14 days, or have had close contact with anyone who is confirmed or suspected of having COVID-19. Visitors must make a reservation and provide contact information to aid in the City’s contact tracing efforts.

Japanese-born American artist Ei Arakawa’s exhibitions and performances are often created through fervent collaborations with artists (and at times their artworks), art historians, and with audience members themselves. His activities undertake the lo-fi mimicry, duplication, and embodiment of cultural forms—be they architectural structures, art historical legacies, or organizational systems—to reanimate their potentialities anew. Since the early 2000s, Arakawa has been at the forefront of renewing the visibility and advancement of performance art internationally, and has mined both its historical forms (such as Japanese Gutai, New York’s Fluxus, Happenings, and Judson Dance Theater, and Viennese Actionism) as well as numerous contemporary manifestations of movement, entertainment, and togetherness. His work, initially appearing spontaneous or improvised, is underpinned by a deep commitment to collaboration as well as addressing the specific contexts of the people for which it is created.

A green and tan wooden dining corral with a ramp and a metal barricade. People sit and stand in and around the corral.
Ei Arakawa: Social Muscle Rehab. Performance documentation, October 10, 2021, Artists Space. Photo: Ei Arakawa. [A green and tan wooden dining corral with a ramp and a metal barricade. People sit and stand in and around the corral.]
A green and tan wooden dining corral with a ramp, metal tables and chairs. People sit and stand in and around the corral.
Ei Arakawa: Social Muscle Rehab. Performance documentation, October 10, 2021, Artists Space. Photo: Ei Arakawa. [A green and tan wooden dining corral with a ramp, metal tables and chairs. People sit and stand in and around the corral.]

Lead Support for Social Muscle Rehab is provided by Eleanor Cayre.

Exhibition support is provided by Lonti Ebers, Jacob King, and Japan Foundation, New York.

Additional support is provided by Lambent Foundation Fund of Tides Foundation, The Cowles Charitable Trust, The Cy Twombly Foundation, The David Teiger Foundation, The Helen Frankenthaler Foundation, The Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation, The New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, The New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature, Imperfect Family Foundation, Robert Rauschenberg Foundation, The Stavros Niarchos Foundation, The Willem de Kooning Foundation, The Danielson Foundation, The Fox Aarons Foundation, Herman Goldman Foundation, The Destina Foundation, The Luce Foundation, May and Samuel Rudin Family Foundation, The Milton and Sally Avery Arts Foundation, VIA Art Fund, Arison Arts Foundation, The Chicago Community Fund, The David Rockefeller Fund, The Jacques and Natasha Gelman Foundation, The Jill and Peter Kraus Foundation, The Richard Pousette-Dart Foundation.