Artists Space

Ei Arakawa: Social Muscle Rehab (outdoor performance)

Performance
October 16, 2021, 3pm

11 Cortlandt Alley

The performance will be live streamed on Ortvi here.

A tennis player sits next to a white bag with gold detailing and white tennis racket. A blue towel covers their face. On the right, "Social Muscle Rehab" is written in yellow lettering.
Naomi Osaka at the Miami Open at Hard Rock Stadium, March 31, 2021. Image courtesy UPI/Alamy Live News. Photo: Gary I. Rothstein [A tennis player sits next to a white bag with gold detailing and white tennis racket. A blue towel covers their face. On the right, "Social Muscle Rehab" is written in yellow lettering.]

With:
Ei Arakawa
Dan Chen
Danielle A. Jackson
K.O. Nnamdie
Masako Shiba
Kenneth Teng
Ivanny Pagan
Britnie Williams

 

Ei Arakawa explores the mediated world of professional tennis via the complex public image of its most visible star Naomi Osaka. On October 16th, the birthday of Osaka, the artist and a group of collaborators celebrate her advocacy for the wellbeing of players' mental health. The performance will take place on the street and also be live streamed on Ortvi. Rain or shine.

Ei Arakawa's exhibition Social Muscle Rehab is on view at Artists Space from September 22 – November 27, 2021.

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.

Ei Arakawa: Social Muscle Rehab (outdoor performance). Performance documentation (excerpt), October 16, 2021, Artists Space. Video: Lazar Bozic
A group of eight people holding tennis rackets stand and crouch in an alleyway. On signs suspended above them, the words "Social Muscle Rehab" are painted in white capitalized text over black and green backgrounds.
Ei Arakawa: Social Muscle Rehab (outdoor performance). Performance documentation, October 16, 2021, Artists Space. Photo: Filip Wolak. [A group of eight people holding tennis rackets stand and crouch in an alleyway. On signs suspended above them, the words "Social Muscle Rehab" are painted in white capitalized text over black and green backgrounds.]
A person in black athletic wear hits a tennis ball towards the camera in an alleyway. Behind them, the words "Artists Space" appear in white text on the windowpane of a black door.
Ei Arakawa: Social Muscle Rehab (outdoor performance). Performance documentation, October 16, 2021, Artists Space. Photo: Filip Wolak. [A person in black athletic wear hits a tennis ball towards the camera in an alleyway. Behind them, the words "Artists Space" appear in white text on the windowpane of a black door.]
Six people standing in an alleyway with tennis rackets on either side of a metal barricade. The person closest to the camera with green shorts hits a ball. Suspended in the background, the words "Social Muscle Rehab" are painted in white text on top of black and green signs.
Ei Arakawa: Social Muscle Rehab (outdoor performance). Performance documentation, October 16, 2021, Artists Space. Photo: Filip Wolak. [Six people standing in an alleyway with tennis rackets on either side of a metal barricade. The person closest to the camera with green shorts hits a ball. Suspended in the background, the words "Social Muscle Rehab" are painted in white text on top of black and green signs.]
In an alleyway, five people with tennis rackets hit tennis balls towards suspended black and green signs that read "Social Muscle Rehab" in white paint.
Ei Arakawa: Social Muscle Rehab (outdoor performance). Performance documentation, October 16, 2021, Artists Space. Photo: Filip Wolak. [In an alleyway, five people with tennis rackets hit tennis balls towards suspended black and green signs that read "Social Muscle Rehab" in white paint.]
Six people stretch on the ground of an alleyway. Suspended behind them, the words "Social Muscle Rehab" are painted in white on black and green signs.
Ei Arakawa: Social Muscle Rehab (outdoor performance). Performance documentation, October 16, 2021, Artists Space. Photo: Filip Wolak. [Six people stretch on the ground of an alleyway. Suspended behind them, the words "Social Muscle Rehab" are painted in white on black and green signs.]
Five people holding tennis rackets running in a circle in an alleyway. A small crowd watches, standing against a brick wall with metal doors covered in graffiti on the right.
Ei Arakawa: Social Muscle Rehab (outdoor performance). Performance documentation, October 16, 2021, Artists Space. Photo: Filip Wolak. [Five people holding tennis rackets running in a circle in an alleyway. A small crowd watches, standing against a brick wall with metal doors covered in graffiti on the right.]
Six people with tennis rackets hit tennis balls against a graffitied metal door in an alleyway. Suspended behind them are a black net and signs that read "Social Muscle Rehab" in painted white
Ei Arakawa: Social Muscle Rehab (outdoor performance). Performance documentation, October 16, 2021, Artists Space. Photo: Filip Wolak. [Six people with tennis rackets hit tennis balls against a graffitied metal door in an alleyway. Suspended behind them are a black net and signs that read "Social Muscle Rehab" in painted white]
Six people holding tennis rackets stand in an alleyway. Each of them has their right shoe off and rubs the sole of their foot on top of a tennis ball. Suspended in the background, the words "Socil Muscle Rehab" are painted in white on top of black and green signs.
Ei Arakawa: Social Muscle Rehab (outdoor performance). Performance documentation, October 16, 2021, Artists Space. Photo: Filip Wolak. [Six people holding tennis rackets stand in an alleyway. Each of them has their right shoe off and rubs the sole of their foot on top of a tennis ball. Suspended in the background, the words "Socil Muscle Rehab" are painted in white on top of black and green signs.]
Three people holding tennis rackets squat against a grey graffitied metal door in an alleyway, pressing their backs against green tennis balls.
Ei Arakawa: Social Muscle Rehab (outdoor performance). Performance documentation, October 16, 2021, Artists Space. Photo: Filip Wolak. [Three people holding tennis rackets squat against a grey graffitied metal door in an alleyway, pressing their backs against green tennis balls.]
A person with a yellow hat and red shirt hits a tennis ball in an alleyway. A small crowd watches in the background on the left.
Ei Arakawa: Social Muscle Rehab (outdoor performance). Performance documentation, October 16, 2021, Artists Space. Photo: Filip Wolak. [A person with a yellow hat and red shirt hits a tennis ball in an alleyway. A small crowd watches in the background on the left.]
A person with a tennis racket wearing a white hat, shirt, and red and green shorts throws his hands up in gleeful celebration. In the background, a crowd behind a net watches intently.
Ei Arakawa: Social Muscle Rehab (outdoor performance). Performance documentation, October 16, 2021, Artists Space. Photo: Filip Wolak. [A person with a tennis racket wearing a white hat, shirt, and red and green shorts throws his hands up in gleeful celebration. In the background, a crowd behind a net watches intently.]
Tennis players stand in an alleyway, ready to hit balls from an automatic ballfeeder. A crowd watches intently in the background. Suspended above them the words "Social Muscle Rehab" are painted in white capitalized text on black and green signs.
Ei Arakawa: Social Muscle Rehab (outdoor performance). Performance documentation, October 16, 2021, Artists Space. Photo: Filip Wolak. [Tennis players stand in an alleyway, ready to hit balls from an automatic ballfeeder. A crowd watches intently in the background. Suspended above them the words "Social Muscle Rehab" are painted in white capitalized text on black and green signs.]
Six people with tennis rackets in an alleyway jump and swing to hit tennis balls towards the camera which is behind a black net. A crowd behind the tennis players watches attentively.
Ei Arakawa: Social Muscle Rehab (outdoor performance). Performance documentation, October 16, 2021, Artists Space. Photo: Filip Wolak. [Six people with tennis rackets in an alleyway jump and swing to hit tennis balls towards the camera which is behind a black net. A crowd behind the tennis players watches attentively.]
Four people stand in an alleyway in front of a black net, one of them holding a black megaphone. Five tennis balls lie at their feet.
Ei Arakawa: Social Muscle Rehab (outdoor performance). Performance documentation, October 16, 2021, Artists Space. Photo: Filip Wolak. [Four people stand in an alleyway in front of a black net, one of them holding a black megaphone. Five tennis balls lie at their feet.]
A crowd looking left in an alleyway, a child in a purple shirt and mask holds onto a balcony railing leaning out over the crowd to get a better view.
Ei Arakawa: Social Muscle Rehab (outdoor performance). Performance documentation, October 16, 2021, Artists Space. Photo: Filip Wolak. [A crowd looking left in an alleyway, a child in a purple shirt and mask holds onto a balcony railing leaning out over the crowd to get a better view.]
Two people carry a white table out of a door and into an alleyway. Behind them several others cheer, one with a megaphone. Suspended in the background are a black net and black and green signs that read "Social Muscle Rehab" in white painted text.
Ei Arakawa: Social Muscle Rehab (outdoor performance). Performance documentation, October 16, 2021, Artists Space. Photo: Filip Wolak. [Two people carry a white table out of a door and into an alleyway. Behind them several others cheer, one with a megaphone. Suspended in the background are a black net and black and green signs that read "Social Muscle Rehab" in white painted text.]
Three cakes sit atop a white table in an alleyway. A crowd behind a black net looks on intently.
Ei Arakawa: Social Muscle Rehab (outdoor performance). Performance documentation, October 16, 2021, Artists Space. Photo: Filip Wolak. [Three cakes sit atop a white table in an alleyway. A crowd behind a black net looks on intently.]

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

Exhibition support is provided by James Cahn & Jeremiah Collatz, Lonti Ebers, Jacob King, and Japan Foundation, New York.

Support for this program is kindly provided by Sotheby's.

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 Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature, Imperfect Family Foundation, Robert Rauschenberg Foundation, The Stavros Niarchos Foundation, The Willem de Kooning 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, Arison Arts Foundation, The David Rockefeller Fund, The Jacques and Natasha Gelman Foundation, The Jill and Peter Kraus Foundation, The Richard Pousette-Dart Foundation.

    A person in a red shirt, white cap, and multicolored pants smiles and poses with a tennis racquet, standing atop a large piece of paper with colorful drawings on it. In the background are people sitting on the ground and printed images of trees.
    Ei Arakawa, Mega Please Draw Freely, 2021 (The artist wears Uniqlo Roger Federer). [A person in a red shirt, white cap, and multicolored pants smiles and poses with a tennis racquet, standing atop a large piece of paper with colorful drawings on it. In the background are people sitting on the ground and printed images of trees.]