Commissions

The centerpiece of the biennial are the Performa Commissions, where visual artists take a step into the performance world, many of them for the first time in their careers. These artists receive significant support to experiment and make their work. To date, Performa has awarded 41 Commissions with several consequently touring internationally after their New York premieres. Beginning with the first Performa 05 Commissions by artists Jesper Just and Francis Alÿs, Performa has gone on to present Commissions by a wide range of artists including Isaac Julien (Performa 07); Adam Pendleton (Performa 07); Yvonne Rainer (Performa 07); Francesco Vezzoli (Performa 07); Mike Kelley (Performa 09); Arto Lindsay (Performa 09); Wangechi Mutu (Performa 09); Ragnar Kjartansson (Performa 11); Liz Magic Laser (Performa 11); Shirin Neshat (Performa 11); and Elmgreen and Dragset (Performa 11), among others.