THE LIU SHIMING ARTIST - THE PERFORMANCE ANIMAL
Thu, Apr 20
|TheBLANC Studio
The Performance Animal, an immersive performance, is scheduled for 6 pm on April 20th at TheBLANC Art Space, 15 E 40th Street, 12th FL, New York, NY 10016. The performance is a collaboration between Luo Wei, a globally acclaimed pianist and recipient of the Liu Shiming Art Grant in 2023.
Time & Location
Apr 20, 2023, 7:00 PM
TheBLANC Studio, 15 E 40th St STE 200,12th FL, New York, NY 10016, USA
About the event
Pianist | Wei Luo
Dancer | Zack Gonder
Curation | theBLANC
Honorary Sponsor | Liu Shiming Art Foundation
Date | 7:00pm, 04/20, Invitation Only
Address | TheBLANC Studio
15 E 40th Street, 12th FL, New York, NY 10016
About the exhibition
The Performance Animal, an immersive performance, is scheduled for 6 pm on April 20th at TheBLANC Art Space, 15 E 40th Street, 12th FL, New York, NY 10016. The performance is a collaboration between Luo Wei, a globally acclaimed pianist and recipient of the Liu Shiming Art Grant in 2023, and the accomplished dancer Zachary Gonder. Together, they will create a surreal and magical virtual scene, using the metaphor of the consequences caused by modern technical dilemmas and the prevalence of nihilism.
The experimental show will be anchored by the music of Sergei Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor and Sonata No. 7 in B-flat Major, which will be performed by Luo Wei. The Performance Animal aims to be a unique and captivating experience that blends music, dance, and virtual art, exploring the boundaries of creativity and expression.
Luo Wei perceives in Prokofiev's music a mechanical, modern, and pristine essence that embodies classical music's response to the challenges of modernity. As an art communicator, she incorporates collective attributes and memories in her creation process, taking on the social responsibility of awakening, connecting, and healing the people of today.
The idea for The Performance Animal arises from the turbulence that the pandemic has brought to every individual. In this era of new media, the interconnectedness of the world through the internet offers a sense of strength and closeness. However, the sudden upheavals exposed the fragility and vulnerability of everything.
As a response to this upheaval, the performance explores the weight of the spirit and survival, with the dancer embodying the pain, confusion, and yearning for hope. Together with the spur of Prokofiev's music, the work aims to reflect the absurdity of life, where people are constantly monitored by invisible eyes and creates a sense of grotesque that is almost inhuman. Nonetheless, the performance encourages its audiences to search for a breakthrough, urging them to overcome feelings of helplessness and powerlessness to transcend and transform their own experiences.
This performance is sponsored by the Liu Shiming Art Foundation. It is curated and produced by TheBLANC Art Space.
About the Artists:
Luo Wei is a Steinway Artist and a highly acclaimed pianist, recognized as one of the most significant pianists of her generation. “Luo seems destined for stardom”, said San Diego Union-Tribune after her concert. Her self-titled debut album was released on Universal Music Group's Decca Gold label, and was featured as one of the most exciting new releases by Gramophone Magazine. Wei has given solo recital tours “Before Sunrise” and “The Song of Ice and Fire “ in nearly 50 cities throughout China. She has featured as a soloist and performed with San Diego Symphony, NY Albany Symphony, Orlando Philharmonic, Shanghai Symphony, China National Symphony Orchestra and etc,. WQXR named Wei as one of the 19 artists to watch in 2019, she has received the Gilmore Young Artist Award, first prize in the 11th Chopin International Competition for Young Pianists in Poland, and the 2nd Rachmaninov International Piano Competition in Frankfurt.
Zachary Gonder is a dancer from Grayslake, Illinois who started training at age five at a local studio. He attended the Chicago Academy for the Arts, where he studied under Randy Duncan, and attended summer intensives with various organizations such as Joffrey Ballet Chicago and Nederlands Dans Theater. Gonder has performed at venues such as the Harris Theater and the Auditorium Theater in Chicago, and even traveled to Copenhagen for the Copenhagen International Choreography Competition. At Juilliard, he has performed works by several choreographers and has attended summer intensives with organizations such as Bodytraffic and Arts Umbrella. He is also interested in choreography and has been selected to choreograph for Juilliard's Choreographers and Composers edition.