Artists Space

Ei Arakawa: WEWORK BABIES (11 Cortlandt Alley)
with Malik Gaines, Tony Jackson, Sohee Kim, Erika Landström, Shuang Liang, George Liu, Yuri Manabe, Molly McFadden, Gela Patashuri, Jamie Stevens, Tinatin Tsiklauri

Performance
December 8, 2019, 2pm

A season of bailouts. Quasi hetero-normative test-drive goes somewhere cumbersome and gauche... What can be a dynamic structure around babies? How to imagine and shape it (or refuse to shape it) so that we can be more free? Ei Arakawa will organize a live performance with numerous plastic babies that march outside in Cortlandt alley (wear warm clothes!), continue to the entrance, and then to the basement of Artists Space as an art baby nursery. An experienced babysitter might be with us for your Q&A.

Performers: Ei Arakawa, Malik Gaines, Tony Jackson, Sohee Kim, Erika Landström, Shuang Liang, George Liu, Yuri Manabe, Molly McFadden, Gela Patashuri, Jamie Stevens, Tinatin Tsiklauri

Music by Stefan Tcherepnin & Igor Törnudd-Tcherepnin (7-month-old)

A man and woman hold hands while running, captured as though suspended above the ground. The woman pushes a red baby stroller in front of her. The scene is backlit, with the sun over a body of water behind them. On the upper right hand corner is the logo for "WeWork," offset on a diagonal.
[A man and woman hold hands while running, captured as though suspended above the ground. The woman pushes a red baby stroller in front of her. The scene is backlit, with the sun over a body of water behind them. On the upper right hand corner is the logo for "WeWork," offset on a diagonal.]

Ei Arakawa (b. Fukushima, Japan 1977) is a performance artist formerly based in New York (recently relocating to Los Angeles). His performances are created through diverse collaborations—with individuals physically participating, as performers, and/or their artworks functioning themselves as performers. He has established the act of such collaborations as being central to his practice. Selected exhibitions include Honolulu Biennial, USA; Kunstverein für die Rheinlande und Westfalen, Düsseldorf, Germany; Sculpture Project Münster, Germany; The 9th Berlin Biennale, Germany; The Gwangju Biennial, South Korea; the Whitney Biennial, New York; the Carnegie International in Pittsburgh; Tate Modern, London; and The Museum of Modern Art, New York.

A photo of a city alleyway acts as the background for this image. Superimposed on the photo are two groups of people in motion with right arms raised, holding cellphones. The group on the right faces toward the viewer, the group on the left faces away.
[A photo of a city alleyway acts as the background for this image. Superimposed on the photo are two groups of people in motion with right arms raised, holding cellphones. The group on the right faces toward the viewer, the group on the left faces away.]
An image of several people running between six large, abstract paintings on wooden stands arranged diagonally through a room. A large painting covers the back wall, and a large sheet of fabric hangs loosely from the left wall, with a minimal amount of green and red paint on it.
Ei Arakawa, See Weeds, 2011. Performance view, Les Abattoirs, Musée d’art moderne et contemporain à Toulouse, France. Photo: Marc Boyer. [An image of several people running between six large, abstract paintings on wooden stands arranged diagonally through a room. A large painting covers the back wall, and a large sheet of fabric hangs loosely from the left wall, with a minimal amount of green and red paint on it.]

What to Expect... WEWORK BABIES

A crowd of people standing outside in Cortlandt Alley surrounding several performers. The performers are mixed in with the crowd, holding metal poles, some looking at a baby doll which is photographed in midair after being thrown upwards.
Ei Arakawa: WEWORK BABIES. Performance documentation, December 8, 2019, Artists Space. Photo © 2019 Paula Court. [A crowd of people standing outside in Cortlandt Alley surrounding several performers. The performers are mixed in with the crowd, holding metal poles, some looking at a baby doll which is photographed in midair after being thrown upwards.]
A large group of people photographed from above, stading in Cortlandt Alley, forming a small circle in the middle. Some people standing near the center hold baby dolls.
Ei Arakawa: WEWORK BABIES. Performance documentation, December 8, 2019, Artists Space. Photo © 2019 Paula Court. [A large group of people photographed from above, stading in Cortlandt Alley, forming a small circle in the middle. Some people standing near the center hold baby dolls.]
A man stands on one foot on a half-rolled yoga mat, holding out a baby doll as if to throw it. Two people behind him are bent over yoga mats, mid-movement. A crowd of people stands around the group watching.
Ei Arakawa: WEWORK BABIES. Performance documentation, December 8, 2019, Artists Space. Photo © 2019 Paula Court. [A man stands on one foot on a half-rolled yoga mat, holding out a baby doll as if to throw it. Two people behind him are bent over yoga mats, mid-movement. A crowd of people stands around the group watching.]
A man stands in the center of a room holding numerous baby dolls, surrounded by several performers striking yoga poses and a small crowd. A makeshift geometric metal structure stands next to him, with a baby doll sitting in a crease of the structure.
Ei Arakawa: WEWORK BABIES. Performance documentation, December 8, 2019, Artists Space. Photo © 2019 Paula Court. [A man stands in the center of a room holding numerous baby dolls, surrounded by several performers striking yoga poses and a small crowd. A makeshift geometric metal structure stands next to him, with a baby doll sitting in a crease of the structure.]
Several people hold a makeshift metal structure upright, fastening additional metal poles onto the structure. A small crowd stands behind them watching.
Ei Arakawa: WEWORK BABIES. Performance documentation, December 8, 2019, Artists Space. Photo © 2019 Paula Court. [Several people hold a makeshift metal structure upright, fastening additional metal poles onto the structure. A small crowd stands behind them watching.]
A man gazes up at a baby doll mid-flight, holding out his right hand towards it. A group of people gaze towards the doll, smiling.
Ei Arakawa: WEWORK BABIES. Performance documentation, December 8, 2019, Artists Space. Photo © 2019 Paula Court. [A man gazes up at a baby doll mid-flight, holding out his right hand towards it. A group of people gaze towards the doll, smiling.]

Lead support

VIA Art Fund

Support

The Friends of Artists Space, The Artists Space Program Fund, Atelier4, The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, The Greenwich Collection LTD, Lambent Foundation Fund of Tides Foundation, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.

    An image of people in a circle wearing white ponchos holding white streamers and a large red balloon is superimposed on top of a city street, rendered in shades of black and grey.
    [An image of people in a circle wearing white ponchos holding white streamers and a large red balloon is superimposed on top of a city street, rendered in shades of black and grey.]