Performing Perspectives: A Collection in Dialogue

Explore the evolving nature of performance in everyday life through Performing Perspectives: A Collection in Dialogue, a new exhibition at The Bass Museum of Art, opening August 28, 2024, and running through the 2024-2025 fall season. Featuring works from the museum’s permanent collection, this thought-provoking presentation spans from the Early Renaissance to contemporary art, inviting audiences to reflect on the performative aspects of self, space, and context in art and life.

Curated by James Voorhies and Claudia Mattos, with exhibition design by Sofía Dotta, the collection is organized around three themes: Performance of Self, examining the projection of identity across mediums and eras; Backdrop for Performance, exploring how spaces shape interactions and behaviors; and Indexicality of Performance, revealing how the meaning of art shifts across time and context. The works on view range from Old Master paintings to contemporary video installations, offering a dynamic dialogue between historical and modern perspectives.

The exhibition underscores The Bass’s commitment to engaging its audience in meaningful ways, presenting art as a space for dialogue, interpretation and self-reflection. Visitors are invited to consider their own roles within these frameworks, as the works themselves “perform” and respond to the present day.