Let The Artist Live!

Dates

Sept. 17 - Oct. 22, 1994

Curators

Jeanette Ingberman and Papo Colo

Artists

Skip Arnold (California)
Rachel Feinstein (New York)
Regina Frank (Germany)
Paula Hayes (New York)
Kate Howard (New York)
Charles LaBelle (California)
Rudy Royval (Texas)
Mio Shirai (Japan)
Javier Tellez (Venezuela)
Michael Yue Tong (New York)
Iké Udé (New York)
Liz Young (California)

Actors

Yasira Nun
Hsiao-Wei Yeh

Exhibition

   Let the Artist Live! was an experimental exhibition in which fifteen American and international artists were invited to live and work at Exit Art.

   Let the Artist Live! challenged the concept of an art exhibition. Let the Artist Live! explored the public and the private, the collective and the solitary, interrogating ideas of habitat, architecture, design, performance and community. The exhibition provided a public view of the artist's private life. Let the Artist Live! challenged the participating artists, the institution and the public.

   Let the Artist Live! had its roots in early 20th century cultural movements which investigated the role of art in everyday life. In particular, this exhibition was influenced by performance ideas from Futurism, dadaism, and Fluxus as well as contemporary performance art. Let the Artist Live! added to Exit Art / The First World's ongoing exploration of challenging ways of presenting artists' work to the public.

   Each artist was given an area in the gallery to create their own living and working environment. All the artists were free to come and go, work, and interact with the public. The artists could collaborate with other artists in residence or work independently. Invited guests, writers, critics, performers, and others participated in special events during the exhibition.

   The installations changed throughout the exhibition and many visitors came to the the gallery several times during the five week period. Ultimately, Let the Artist Live! was about art, endurance, performance and how all of these elements rely upon the unexpected.

Exhibit Archive | 94-95 Calender