This Week’s Must-see Art Events: Are You Sure You Want to Delete That Account?

TRIPS is a monthly reading series for queer writers with a focus on travel stories. It is really, really fun. This week, come hear tales of camping, hitchhiking, walks of shame and more from Cat Fitzpatrick, Sandra Hong, Alanna Nuala, Lalo Ríomontaña, Anthony Amian, and MC/writer Katie Liederman.

It’s been ten years since Cory Arcangel deleted his friendster accountat PS1, and the performance is still relevant. Enter “Are You Sure You Want to Delete That Account” an entire evening dedicated to people stuck with accounts promoting an adolescent identity they no longer want. We’ve all said stupid things as teenagers, but only some of us have the misfortune of having the Internet archive all that for us. Sad poetry and avant garde performance  will help millennials stuck in that predicament cope.

For those who wish to participate, there’s an open call. Hosted by: Willa Köerner and Alex Teplitzky.

Chandigarh, the capital of East Punjab, is famously one of only a handful of built-from-scratch modernist cities of the 20th century. Commissioned by India’s first Prime Minister, Chandigarh was designed by a team of Western and Indian architects and planners under the leadership of Le Corbusier himself. The resulting locale is a truly singular city—equal parts “futuristic” and “exotic”, it’s a utopian mash-up of brutalist buildings, wide plazas, verdant landscaped gardens, and all the unplanned vernacular uses that accompany city life. It makes for one hell of a filming location. This screening, curated by Shanay Jhaveri, highlights documentary and experimental films and video shot over the past half-century in the young metropolis.

Featuring: Chandigarh, Yash Chaudhary/Films Division, 1969, 11 mins

Une Ville à Chandigarh, Alain Tanner and John Berger, 1965, 50 mins [pictured above]

Journeys into the Outside with Jarvis Cocker (excerpt), Martin Wallace/Channel 4, 1999, 10 mins

Tracing Bylanes, Surabhi Sharma, 2011, 15 mins

Utopia, Nalini Malani, 1969-1976, digital projection, 4 mins

20 participating artists from across the globe put their art in a box, ship it to a designated gallery, and launch a show. There’s some explanation about what a hope chest is—a wooden trunk that contained the dowry of a woman—and that probably influences what goes in the show. But mostly this seems like a loose conceit to meant to give artists a reason to show together. And that sounds fine with me. Participating artists include.

Created by Johanna Braun

European Artists

Maria Anwander, Johanna Braun, Thomas Ballhausen, Anna Khodorkovskaya, Elke Silvia Krystufek, Dejan Kaludjerovic, Roberta Lima, Muntean / Rosenblum, Michael Niemetz, Linus Riepler, Elisabeth von Samsonow, Kelly Sena, Erwin Wurm.

New York Artists

Natalie Baxter, Rachael Gorchov, Angela Hoener, Siobhan Landry, Heidi Norton, Aiden Simon, Kate Steciw, Jamie Steele.

Curated by Jamie Steele

Three plays at Secret Project Robot take on the season’s theme of “dangerous play in the name of power”. We’re interested in all of them.  “_Jailbreak!_”*tm  by Saints of an Unnamed Country, locates two clown convicts on an island who debate the subject of liberty. “The Maids” by Psychic Readings Company is all S&M power plays, bloody rituals and fake death. And excerpts from Title:Point’s “Never Odd or Even” track five human shapes as they travel through time and space.

It’s hard to imagine ever running out of material on power struggles—it’s such rich subject matter. But mostly we’re interested because we know Ric Royer of The Maids is a great young director who creates thoughtful work on a shoestring budget. We want to see more of that.

Play details below:

_Jailbreak!_”*tm by Saints of an Unnamed Country

Featuring: Cast unknown

Title: The Maids

The Psychic Readings Co.
Featuring: Carly J. Bales, Nicolette Le Faye, and Kyra Evelyn.
[poster by Carl Dunn]

Title:Point’s NEVER ODD OR EVEN (An Excerpt)
Directed by: Theresa Buchheister
Written by: Ryan William Downey, Theresa Buchheister, Scott Ries & Spencer Thomas Campbell
Featuring Justin Anselmi, Ryan William Downey, Glor Klar, Catrin Lloyd-Bollard, & Jeff Rose.

What would a weekly event listings post be in the summer without mention of the PS1 Warm Up. The outdoor concert series takes place every Saturday at the Museum and usually plays host to musicians that are on their way to becoming big deals. I don’t know any of the bands or DJs in the line up, which I take to be a sign the curators are doing their job well. Here’s what to look forward to:

Matias Aguayo (DJ set) / Cómeme / Santiago, Chile

Kingdom / Fade to Mind / Los Angeles, CA

D∆WN (Live) / Our Dawn Entertainment / New Orleans, LA

DJ Windows 98 / Montreal, Canada

Murlo / Mixpak / London, UK

FALSE WITNESS / #KUNQ / Brooklyn, NY

Morbid Anatomy’s Flea Market brings together purveyors of dead things much to the pleasure of this blog. Daisy Tainton brings insect shadow boxes. Amber Jolliffe Maykut showcases taxidermical oddities. Ryan Matthew Cohn, whom some of you may know from the Science Channel, impresses with his bone displays. After this weekend, the flea will close for the rest of the year, so this is your last chance to see it. Better get out there.