The Art World Goes Gold at the Annual Performa Gala
Performa, the biennial founded by RoseLee Goldberg, has been bringing a heavy dose of performance art to New York for a dozen years now, something the group celebrated on Tuesday night with a typically boisterous gala, where the word “dazzling” served as the dress code. Artists Carrie Mae Weems, Rashid Johnson, Derrick Adams, Juliana Huxtable, and Cindy Sherman all turned up to honor Okwui Enwezor, the Nigerian-born curator and director of last year’s Venice Biennale, for this year’s edition, titled “Beloved Country” in dedication to the visual art and performances of South Africa. Art-world names like Klaus Biesenbach and Jeffrey Deitch were there, too, taking in poetry read by Weems and a sparkly performance called “Over the Rainbow” by the South African artist Athi-Patra Ruga, which also featured Dope Saint Jude. Take a look at all the festivities, here.
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Athi-Patra Ruga at Performa Gala, Beloved Country honoring Okwui Enwezor in New York.
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Thelma Golden, RoseLee Goldberg, and Cindy Sherman at Performa Gala, Beloved Country honoring Okwui Enwezor in New York.
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Dope Saint Jude at Performa Gala, Beloved Country honoring Okwui Enwezor in New York.
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Guests at Performa Gala, Beloved Country honoring Okwui Enwezor in New York.
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Rashid Johnson at Performa Gala, Beloved Country honoring Okwui Enwezor in New York.
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Jeffrey Deitch, Gabriel Asfour, and Adi Gil at Performa Gala, Beloved Country honoring Okwui Enwezor in New York.
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Athi-Patra Ruga at Performa Gala, Beloved Country honoring Okwui Enwezor in New York.
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Athi-Patra Ruga at Performa Gala, Beloved Country honoring Okwui Enwezor in New York.
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RoseLee Goldberg and Juliana Huxtable at Performa Gala, Beloved Country honoring Okwui Enwezor in New York.
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Carrie Mae Weems at Performa Gala, Beloved Country honoring Okwui Enwezor in New York.
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Athi-Patra Ruga at Performa Gala, Beloved Country honoring Okwui Enwezor in New York.
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Klaus Biesenbach, Sarah Arison, and Todd Bishop at Performa Gala, Beloved Country honoring Okwui Enwezor in New York.
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Athi-Patra Ruga at Performa Gala, Beloved Country honoring Okwui Enwezor in New York.
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Okwui Enwezor and Louise Neri at Performa Gala, Beloved Country honoring Okwui Enwezor in New York.
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Athi-Patra Ruga at Performa Gala, Beloved Country honoring Okwui Enwezor in New York.
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Adrienne Edwards, Lorna Simpson, and Mahen Bonetti at Performa Gala, Beloved Country honoring Okwui Enwezor in New York.
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Derrick Adams, Julie Mehretu, Adrienne Edwards, and RoseLee Goldberg at Performa Gala, Beloved Country honoring Okwui Enwezor in New York.
