The Ohio University School of Art + Design proudly presents an exhibition of contemporary performance art, “Temporal and Corporeal: A Broad Scope of Performance Art,” at Ohio University Art Gallery in Athens, Jan. 23–March 3. There will be live performance events featuring visiting artists during the first week of events, and a reception opening from 6 to 9 p.m. Jan. 25.

This first-ever exhibition of its kind at OHIO will offer a wide variety of performance art to be experienced during opening night and throughout the duration of the show. There will be live performances, photo and video documentation, artifacts, remnants and specially scheduled Skype sessions on-view during the entire length of the show. This exhibition considers that performance exists beyond the live setting, spilling into sculpture, photography and video.

The opening reception features live performances by guest artists Danielle Abrams, Yana Evans and OHIO alumnus Kris Grey along with juried artists: Lindsay Garcia, Rae Goodwin, Greg Hatch, Katie Lee Mansfield, Keegan Shiner and Megan Young. The events will kick off before the opening reception with Keegan Shiner’s “Exceptional Tour Guide” in the gallery from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. and then Megan Young’s “The Longest Walk” on the North Green from 5:30 to 6 p.m. That is followed by scheduled performances in and around the gallery during the reception from 6 to 9 p.m.

Artist presentations will be followed by a panel discussion with Danielle Abrams, Ayana Evans, Kris Grey and OHIO’s Andrea Frohne (African Art History), Akil Houston (African American Studies), Jennie Klein (Art History) and Bianca Spriggs (English) from 1 to 4 p.m. Jan. 26 in Mitchell Auditorium, Seigfred fifth floor. Light refreshments will be served. All events are free and open to the public. 

Artists selected for this exhibition include: Melissa Airy, BOOMERANG (artistic team: Will Arbery, Matty Davis, Kenny Polyak, and Kora Radella), E.J. Cobb, Kara Dunne, Marisa Finos, Cari Freno, Lindsay Garcia, Lindsay Greer, Rae Goodwin, Mary Addison Hackett, Greg Hatch, Brock Jensen, Heather Joy Layton, Daniel Lichtman, Katie Lee Mansfield, Yelena Myshko, Rebecca Pappas, Hyun Gi Park, Sam Posso, re:mark (Janette Chien and Wayne Kleppe), Keegan Shiner, Heather Sincavage, Christine Stiver and Megan Young.

Additional visiting artists and performances are planned throughout the length of the exhibition, and will be announced soon. Please follow @ohiouniversityartgalleries on Facebook and Instagram for updated information and performance schedules.

Guest artist bios:

Danielle Abrams is a working class, African American, Jewish, butch lesbian artist whose performances are shaped by her identity and background as a biracial woman. Abrams animates a series of characters that represent a cross section of ethnicities, races and genders. Many of these performance characters come from her own background. More information about Abrams’s work, as well as videos of her performances, can be found on her web site:  http://www.danielleabrams.com/ .

Ayana Evans is a New York City-based artist who works frequently in Chicago, where she grew up. Evans’ work questions the space between African-American identity, hip-hop culture and endurance performance. Garbed in a neon-yellow, zebra-striped catsuit, Evans often forces art world audiences (most of them of European descent) to confront the inherent biases of the art world. Evans’ on-going performances/public interventions include: "Operation Catsuit" and "I Just Came Here to Find a Husband." She has curated and co-curated performance art shows throughout the U.S. and worked in arts education for a decade. She is Editor at Large for www.cultbytes.com . Her recent press includes articles on New York Magazine's The Cut, Hyperallergic, the Huffington Post, gallerygurls.net and CNN. More information can be found on her web site:  www.ayanaevans.com .

Kris Grey/Justin Credible received their MFA from Ohio University in 2012. They are a gender-queer artist whose work combines strategies of communication, activism, community building, education, lecture and studio production. Grey’s work addresses what it means to be trans in the sense of always in transition and the refusal to rest in binary identities. Grey’s work deals with what it means to change one’s gender, histories of non-normate folk and corporeal excess via endurance and community performances. More information can be found on Grey’s web site:  kristingrey.com/home .

The Ohio University Art Gallery, located on the fifth floor of Seigfred Hall, is open Monday-Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Thursday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

“Temporal and Corporeal: A Broad Scope of Performance Art”
at the Ohio University Art Gallery, Seigfred Hall
On View: Jan. 23 - March 3, 2018 
Reception: Thursday, Jan. 25, 6-9 p.m.
Artist presentation and panel: Friday, Jan. 26, 1-4 p.m. in Mitchell Auditorium, Seigfred 5th floor

This College of Fine Arts event is made possible through support from Arts for Ohio.