Maria Hassabi portfolio 2016 Courtesy The Breeder Athens by The Breeder

THE BREEEDER

MARIA%HASSABI%%%%%%% Selected'works''

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_%%%Ar+st%Statement%%%p.%3% _%%%Press%Quotes%%%p.%4% _%%%Biography%%%p.%5% _%%%Text%on%Maria%Hassabi’s%work%by%Aram%Moshayedi%%%p.%6G7% _%%%PLASTIC((2015)%%%p.%9G14% _%%%PREMIERE((2013)%%%p.%15G19% _%%%Text%on%PREMIERE%by%Kelly%Kivland%%%p.%17% _%%%INTERMISSION((2013)%%%p.%20G22% _%%%COUNTER/RELIEF((2011G13)%%%p.%23G25% _%%%CHANDELIERS((2012)%%%p.%26G27% CONTENTS(

_%%%THE(LADIES((2012)%%%p.%28G32% _%%%Text%on%The%Ladies%by%Biba%Bell%%%p.%30% _%%%SHOW((2011)%%%p.%33G36% _%%%Text%on%SHOW%by%Jenn%Joy%%%p.%35% _%%%ROBERT(&(MARIA%%%p.%37G40% _%%%Text%on%Robert%and%Maria%by%Jenn%Joy%%%p.%39% _%%%SOLOSHOW%%%p.%41G44% _%%%Text%on%SoloShow%by%ScoY%Lyall%%%p.%43% _%%%SOLO%%%p.%45G47% _%%%Resume%%%p.%48G50% _%%%Selected%Bibliography%%%p.%51% _%%%Photo%Credits%%%p.%52

“Over%the%years,%I%have%developed%a%dis+nct%choreographic%prac+ce%centered% on%the%rela+on%of%the%body%to%the%image%—%defined%by%sculptural%physicality,% extended%dura+on,%and%aesthe+c%precision.%My%work%is%a%prac+ce%in%abstrac+on% drawing% its% strength% from% the% tension% between% the% human% subject% and% the% ar+s+c% object,% the% dancer% as% a% performer% and% as% a% physical% en+ty.% Exercised% through%the%reduc+on%of%movement%in%rela+on%to%+me,%my%use%of%abstrac+on% develops%a%percep+on%of%the%body%as%a%fragmented%form,%and%ul+mately,%as%an% affec+ng% force.% With% its% dis+nct% slowness% and% gradual% progression,% my% choreography% enables% “a% wai+ng,”% where% form% is% captured% and% can% be% contemplated.% As% images% shi],% the% rela+on% between% space,% dura+on% and% movement%is%intensely%magnified,%and%the%viewer%is%given%the%chance%to%enter% another%realm%of%consciousness%and%awareness.%% Preoccupied% with% velocity% of% decelera+on,% and% the% radical% corporeality% of% the% body%and%its%elements,%my%works%reveal%the%body%at%its%most%vulnerable,%perhaps% even%in%its%most%unnatural%state.%This%foregrounds%both%the%enormous%demands% made% on% the% performers,% and% every% last% detail% of% the% performing% body.% O]en% working% close% to% the% ground,% the% performers% assume% an% uncanny% sculptural% quality% as% they% nego+ate% the% twists% and% turns% of% a% plas+c% choreography.% Rarely% the% human% figure% seems% so% palpable,% so% material,% and% under% pressure% from% gravity.”%%

Maria%Hassabi,%2015%%

“Hassabi'is'a'master'of'slowness'and's5llness'6'her'pieces'are'like'art'installa5ons'brought'to'life'by'dancers.”'' Deborah%JowiY,%Dance%Cri+c,%Arts%Journal,%November%2013%

“You'watch'for'something66anything66to'break'loose.'You'feel'relief'and'triumph'to'no5ce'even'just'the'flow'of'breath'ruffling'through'a'dancer's'back,'and'you'search'for'more'of'the' same.'Your'outer'and'inner'senses'reach'out.'Despite'yourself,'you'have'already'begun'to'live'in'this'dance.'The'work66an'endurance'trial'for'performers'and'audience'alike66is'a'knockout.”% Eva%Yaa%Asantewaa,%Infinite%Body,%November%2013'

“Hassabi'6'best'known'for'her'glacially'slow'choreography'6'was'moving'diagonally'down'the'bleachers'with'two'other'dancers,'their'movements'barely'percep5ble.'Hardly'

anyone'was'watching,'but'this'made'the'performers''slow6mo5on'intensity'all'the'more'striking'and'otherworldly;'they'moved'at'a'pace'completely'remote'from'the'Biennale's'frene5c' norm.'This'was'easily'the'most'striking'and'beau5ful'new'work'I'saw'in'Venice.”' Claire%Bishop,%ARTFORUM,%September%2013% % %

“I'have'watched'Hassabi'make'performances'for'years'and'I'am'always'enthralled.'As'the'viewer,'I'wonder,'I'ques5on,'I'resist'and'ul5mately,'I'succumb.'She'exerts'control'over'the' total'experience—the'performance'space'is'oOen'very'asce5c'and'5ghtly'focused—and'yet'I'ﬁnd'numerous'ways'to'sit'with'the'work,'to'enter'its'nuanced'and'deep'world,'and'to'make'it' truly'my'own.'She'is'resolute'in'her'inten5on,'virtuosic'in'her'physical'control,'but'not'afraid'to'slow'down,'to'restrict'her'paleQe'of'movement,'and'to'leave'aside'easy'choices.'Hers'is'a' dance'that'lives'between'object'and'movement,'a'dance'that'conjures'a'frame'and'dares'you'to'resist.”% Cathy%Edwards,%NEFA%Execu+ve%Director,%August%2010'

''''''''''''''“Hassabi’s'choreography'is'extreme.'It'makes'the'viewer'look'at'those'inters5ces'that'would'not'be'perceived'otherwise.'By'asking'to'be'looked'at'pa5ently'and'persistently,'her' work'claims'to'the'viewer'to'immerse'oneself'in'the'act'of'seeing.“' Cris+ane%Bouger,%Performa%Magazine,%November%2013

Maria%Hassabi%(b.%Cyprus)%is%a%New%YorkGbased%ar+st%and%choreographer.%%

Interna+onally%at%venues%such%as%Stedelijk%Museum%(Amsterdam,%Netherlands);%%

Over%the%years%she%has%developed%a%dis+nct%choreographic%prac+ce%involved%with%the%rela+on%

Het%Veem%Theater%(Amsterdam,%Netherlands);%Australian%Center%for%Contemporary%Art%

of%the%body%to%the%image,%deﬁned%by%sculptural%physicality%and%extended%dura+on.%

(Melbourne,%Australia);%CentrePasaquArt%(Biel,%Switzerland);%Vienna%Art%Fair%(Austria);%%

Her%works%draw%their%strength%from%the%tension%between%the%human%subject%and%the%ar+s+c%

Centre%d’Art%Contemporain%Geneva%(Switzerland);%Middleheim%Museum%(Antwerp,%

object,%the%dancer%as%a%performer%and%as%a%physical%en+ty.%%

Belgium),%Beit%Hair%Center%for%Urban%Culture%(Tel%Aviv,%Israel);%Museo%Soumaya%% (Mexico%City);%Frasca+%Theater%(Amsterdam,%Netherlands);%deSingel%(Antwerp,%Belgium);%

Her%works%include%PLASTIC%(2015);%PREMIERE%(2013);%INTERMISSION%(2013);% CounterGRelief%(2013);%SHOW%(2011);%Robert%and%Maria%(2019);%SoloShow%(2009);%% Solo%(2009);%GLORIA%(2007);%S+ll%Smoking%(2006);%Dead%is%Dead%(2004);%LIGHTS%(2001).% She%has%also%has%also%created%several%shortGform%pieces,%art%installa+ons%including%PLASTIC% (2015)%and%CHANDELIERS%(2012),%and%a%short%ﬁlm,%The%Ladies%(2012).%

Kaaitheater%(Brussels,%Belgium).% Hassabi’s%work%has%also%been%featured%in%interna+onal%fes+vals%such%as%BONE%17%% (Bern,%Switzerland);%“So]%City”%at%Kunsthall%Oslo%(Oslo,%Norway);%Le%Mouvement:%% The%City%Performed%(Biel,%Switzerland);%Kunstenfes+valdesarts%(Brussels,%Belgium),% %XING%(Bologna,%Italy),%%NEAT%Fes+val%(Nopngham,%UK);%Göteborgs%Dans%&%Teater%Fes+val% (Göteborg,%Sweden);%Volcano%Extravaganza%2013%(Stromboli,%Italy);%Dance4%(Nopngham,%

Hassabi’s%works%are%presented%in%theaters,%fes+vals,%museums,%galleries%and%publicGspaces%

UK);%Performa+k%Fes+val%(Brussels,%Belgium);%Panorama%Fes+val%(Rio%de%Janeiro,%Brazil);%

worldwide.%In%the%US%in%venues%such%as%Hammer%Museum%(Los%Angeles);%%

Fes+val%Contemporãneo%de%Danca%(São%Paulo,%Brazil);%City%of%Women%Fes+val%(Ljublana,%

The%Kitchen%(New%York);%Museum%of%Contemporary%Art%Chicago%(Chicago);%

Slovenia);%Springdance%Fes+val%(Utrecht,%Netherlands);%ImPulsTanz%(Vienna,%Austria),%%

CCS%Bard%Galleries%at%Bard%College%(Hudson,%NY);%Danspace%Project%(NY);%PS122%(NY);%

Tanz%im%August%(Berlin,%Germany);%InGPresentable%Fes+val%(Madrid,%Spain),%

Portland%Ins+tute%for%Contemporary%Art%TBA%Fes+val%(Oregon);%

%TSEHG%Springdance/Dialogue%(Moscow,%Russia),%and%fes+vals%in%BosniaGHerzegovina,%

Ballroom%Marfa%(Texas);%Dance%Theater%Workshop%(NY);%PS1%MoMA%(NY);%

Cyprus,%Greece%and%Portugal.%

and%have%been%included%in%fes+vals%such%as%Performa%’09%and%Performa%13’;% Fi:af’s%Crossing%the%Line%Fes+val%in%2009%and%2011,%and%LMCC’s%River%to%River%Fes+val%in%2012%

Maria%Hassabi%is%a%recipient%of%the%2015%Herb%Alpert%Award,%a%2012%recipient%

and%2014.%

of%The%President’s%Award%for%Performing%Arts%from%the%LMCC,% a%2011%Guggenheim%Fellow,%and%a%2009%Grants%to%Ar+sts%Award%from%the%Founda+on% for%Contemporary%Arts.%In%2013%she%represented%Cyprus%as%part%of%The%Cyprus% and%Lithuanian%Pavilion%at%the%55th%Venice%Biennale.%% Maria%Hassabi%holds%a%BFA%from%the%California%Ins+tute%of%the%Arts.%

Text(on(Maria(Hassabi's(work( by'Aram'Moshayedi

The%ar+st%and%choreographer%Maria%Hassabi’s%performances%and%live%installa+ons%of%the%past%

at%+mes%seeming%to%be%a%part%of,%and%in%dialogue%with,%the%Cypriot%ar+st%Phanos%Kyriacou’s%

decade%have%been%described%as%explora+ons%of%s+llness,%slowness,%and%sustained%movement.%

installa+on%Eleven%hosts,%twentyGone%guests,%nine%ghosts%(2013).%The%performers’%

Even%more%so,%her%works—produced%for%galleries,%theaters,%and%public%spaces—address%the%

presence%receded,%however,%almost%like%discrete%objects%or%passive%observers%sharing%

separa+on%between%the%spectacular%and%the%everyday,%between%subject%and%object,%

in%the%aliena+ng%experience%that%I%o]en%have%when%visi+ng%an%exhibi+on.%

between%bystander%and%viewer—while%addressing%the%ways%in%which%dance%and%the%spectacle%

As%part%of%the%tableau,%an%ominous%sound%track%rang%throughout,%a%composi+on%

of%performance%is%presented%in%theatrical%and%exhibi+on%contexts.%%

by%Morten%Norbye%Halvorsen%that%evoked%the%body’s%innermost%groaning.%

PerformanceGbased%works%such%as%these%are%rooted%in%the%discourse%of%sculptural%+me.%

The%performance%seemed%to%move%in%unison%with%the%slow%pace%of%this%resonant%droning%

As%much%as%they%nego+ate%the%speciﬁc%parameters%of%exhibi+on,%display,%and%presenta+on%

sound.%

in%the%murky%area%that%sits%between%museum%and%theater%contexts,%Hassabi’s%works%are% equipped%to%reconcile%the%living%and%breathing%temporality%of%sculpture%with%the%forms%of%

But%when%I%entered%the%exhibi+on%through%one%of%two%possible%means%of%ingress%

movement%that%are%inherent%to%performance.%

at%the%gymnasium’s%uppermost%level,%I%saw%Hassabi%and%her%performers% on%the%opposite%side%of%the%stadium%sea+ng%and%remember%thinking%that%they%

To%this%end,%the%curator%Raimundas%Malašauskas%recently%characterized%them%as%

appeared%to%be%just%hanging%out%casually%on%the%steps%of%the%bleachers.%

“living%sculptures,”%akin%to%a%“volcano%that%moves%slow,%takes%its%+me%and%aYempts%to%be%s+ll.”%

It%was%hardly%a%performance%in%the%spectacular%sense.%Their%presence%was%everyday%

This%descrip+on%of%INTERMISSION%(2013)—a%live%installa+on%developed%and%performed%

and%ﬂuid%within%a%scenography%that%was%apparently%aYemp+ng%to%exploit%the%parameters%

in%the%context%of%the%exhibi+on%oO%in%the%Cypriot%and%Lithuanian%Pavilion%at%the%2013%

of%discrete%art%objects%and%their%insistence%on%an%otherwise%pris+ne%context%

Venice%Biennale—plays%on%metaphors%of%s+llness,%poten+ality,%and%the%slowness%of%

of%reﬂec+on%and%display.%Amid%this,%Hassabi%and%the%dancers%Hristoula%Harakas%

geologic%+me,%which%have%been%key%aspects%of%Hassabi’s%work%for%more%than%a%decade.%

and%Paige%Mar+n%were%grappling%with%another%conven+on%of%presenta+on%inherited%

INTERMISSION%was%my%ﬁrst%encounter%with%Hassabi%and%her%work.%Set%in%an%ordinary%

from%the%theater%by%performance%ar+sts%as%early%as%the%1970s,%which%presupposes%

Vene+an%gymnasium—perhaps%a%strange%thing%in%and%of%itself%to%encounter%the%“ordinary”%

a%standard%rela+onship%between%subject%and%object,%performer%and%viewer.%

within%the%overbearing%weight%of%history%that%Venice%exudes—%Hassabi’s%dura+onal%

The%spectacular%nature%of%early%performance%art%is%a%precedent%from%which%more%

choreography%was%performed%during%the%exhibi+on’s%opening%days%by%the%ar+st%

recent%prac+ces%like%Hassabi’s%have%departed,%insistent%as%they%are%on%the%temporally%

and%two%other%performers.%In%a%cavernous%theatrical%space,%framed%by%stadium%sea+ng%

and%spa+ally%dislocated%possibili+es%of%dance%and%theater%as%integral%links%

and%a%basketball%court,%INTERMISSION%unfolded%among%and%within%other%sculptural%works,%

to%exhibi+onary%logic.%

Through%works%like%INTERMISSION,%Hassabi%confronts%exhibi+on%+me%and%the%

Having%debuted%as%part%of%Performa%13,%Hassabi’s%PREMIERE%(2013)%is%a%further%example%

standard%modes%of%opera+ng%that%ins+tu+ons%within%the%visual%arts%have%come%to%

of%how%these%choreographic%interests%are%capable%of%upending%the%expecta+ons%and%

rely%on.%The%very%same%year%that%Hassabi%debuted%her%work%in%Venice,%there%were%

demands%of%viewership%by%prolonging%and%emphasizing%the%contours%of%s+llness.%

a%handful%of%other%“living%installa+ons”%by%ar+sts%such%as%John%Bock,%Manuel%

Extending%over%eightyGthree%minutes,%PREMIERE%is%a%stage%work%that%begins%from%the%

Pelmus% ̨%and%Alexandra%Pirici,%and%Tino%Sehgal%that%elided%the%same%conven+ons%of%

moment%its%audience%enters%the%theater.%Five%performers%inhabit%the%stage,%ﬁxed%as%if%

display%as%a%sta+c%phenomenon%but%to%very%diﬀerent%ends.%

they%were%part%of%a%sculptural%frieze.%At%the%Kitchen%in%New%York,%audience%members% ﬂooded%past%the%dancers%toward%their%seats,%for%this%moment%becoming%part%of%the%

The%tendency%to%use%living%actors%as%theatrical%props/agents%in%extended%

work.%Reviewers%of%the%performance%aptly%picked%up%on%the%paredG%down%minimalism%of%

performances%has%become%an%industry%standard,%rooted%in%a%recent%discourse%of%

what%ensued,%both%for%those%onstage%and%for%those%in%their%seats:%a]er%a%glacially%paced%

presence%and%presentness%that%was%ushered%in%(again)%with%no%statement%as%grand%

rota+onal%turn,%set%amid%slight%changes%to%the%ligh+ng%and%a%barely%no+ceable%sound%

as%the%presenta+on%of%Marina%Abramovic% ́:%The%Ar+st%Is%Present%at%the%Museum%of%

track,%the%performers%face%their%audience,%as%one%writer%put%it,%“mo+onless%as%ever,%but%

Modern%Art%in%New%York%in%2010,%which%provided%visitors%with%the%opportunity%to%

glowing%with%exhaus+on.”%In%the%video%documenta+on%of%the%performance,%the%rapt%

engage%the%historically%signiﬁcant%ar+st%in%an%unscripted%staring%contest.%Wri+ng%in%

aYen+on%of%the%audience%is%apparent,%as%is%the%restlessness%of%certain%onlookers,%as%they%

response%to%this%monumental%work,%the%performance%theorist%and%historian%

shi]%their%weight%back%and%forth%in%their%uncomfortable%seats,%in%what%the%reviewer%

Amelia%Jones%asked,%“What%are%we%to%do%with%the%fact%that,%when%the%art%world%

Andrew%Boynton%described%as%“liYle%dramas”%within%the%audience.%

and%its%corollary%discourses%such%as%cura+ng,%art%cri+cism,%and%art%history% scholarship%embrace%performance%they%seem%inevitably%to%turn%live%acts%into%

Hassabi’s%choreography%is%characteris+cally%in%pursuit%of%s+llness%through%movement,%

objects?”%Commentary%such%as%this%is%commonplace%enough%in%an%era%that%has%

and%the%changes%that%occur%during%the%performance%of%PREMIERE%are%almost%

become%ever%more%dependent%on%the%role%of%“live%art”%within%museum%

impercep+ble%and%are%made%audible%only%by%the%movement%on%the%hollow%black%ﬂoor%of%

programming%that%responds%to%the%demand%for%novel%ways%of%engaging%a%public%

the%theater.%This%style%of%movement—characterized%by%a%glacial,%tectonic%rate%of%change

that%seeks%out%entertainment%rather%than%the%poten+ally%aliena+ng%encounter%one%

—is%a%common%thread%in%her%works,%which%equally%engage%the%speciﬁc%condi+ons%in%

can%have%when%viewing%otherwise%indiﬀerent%objects%of%art.%

which%they%are%performed,%whether%in%theaters%or%galleries%or%in%ordinary%public%spaces.% Whatever%the%context%of%presenta+on,%her%live%performances%recede,%evading%presence%

In%contrast,%and%perhaps%shying%away%from%“engaging%experiences,”%Hassabi’s%

in%the%tradi+onal%sense%of%the%word.%Her%works%point%to%their%own%media+on;%they%are%

prolonged%choreographic%works%pursue%unmediated%forms%of%presence%and%

discrete%despite%the%ways%in%which%they%unfold%throughout%varied%spaces%and%over%

presentness%as%an%encounter%with%the%physical%body%as%an%almost%sculptural%form.%

extended%periods%of%+me.%Hassabi%is%a%choreographer%of%an%an+spectacular%medium,%

By%extension,%the%very%mediated%nature%of%performance%as%a%form%of%spectacle%

indiﬀerent%to%the%expecta+ons%of%viewer,%audience,%witness,%bystander.%This%indiﬀerence%

with%theatrical%origins%is%at%the%crux%of%her%prac+ce,%rooted%more%in%the%

is%crucial%to%the%explora+on%of%new%modes%of%presenta+on%within%both%the%performing%

rela+onship%between%physicality%and%s+llness,%dance%and%sculpture—and%the%

and%the%visual%arts,%all%the%while%remaining%ﬁrmly%rooted%in%a%history%of%dance.%

condi+ons%that%are%speciﬁc%to%their%presenta+ons%in%blackGbox%and%galleryG%like% sepngs,%respec+vely—than%in%the%recent%insistence%on%living%bodies%as%impaczul%

Aram%Moshayedi%is%a%curator%at%the%Hammer%Museum,%Los%Angeles,%where%Hassabi’s%

objects%within%installa+onG%based%artworks.%

PLASTIC%debuted%in%2015.%

WORKS(%(2009'6'2015)

PLASTIC%(2015)

PLASTIC((2015)(–(Live/installaMon

Maria%Hassabi's%liveGinstalla+on,%PLASTIC,%is%performed%throughout%the%opening%hours%of%an% ins+tu+on,%exploring%the%rela+onship%between%space,%+me%and%physicality,%as%an%artwork% whose%material%is%the%human%being.%PLASTIC%reﬂects%upon%conven+ons%of%display%and%the% language%surrounding%performanceGbased%work,%while%pursuing%an%idea%of%s+llness%in%rela+on% to%the%physical%body.%The%work%bridges%the%conceptual%and%physical%divide%between%performer% and%object,%bystander%and%viewer,%while%addressing%the%ways%in%which%dance%and%the%spectacle% of%performance%are%presented%in%theatrical%and%exhibi+on%contexts.%

Performers%Hristoula%Harakas,%Maria%Hassabi,%Molly%Lieber,%and%Oisín%Monaghan% AddiMonal(performers%for%the%exhibi+on%at%the%Hammer%Museum%in%Galley%6,%include:% Alison%D'Amato,%Ellen%Gerdes,%Casey%Lin%Brown,%Gwyneth%Shanks,% and%Devika%Wickermesinghe% Sound(design(by(Morten%Norbye%Halvorsen% LighMng(consultaMon%by%ChuGHsuan%Chan% Styling(by(threeASFOUR%% Produced(by%Ash%Bulayev% Shows( 2016%G%Museum%of%Modern%Art,%New%York,%US%(February%–%March)% 2015%G%Hammer%Museum,%Los%Angeles,%US%%(January%31%–%March%1)% %%%%%%%%%%G%Stedelijk%Museum,%The%Netherlands%(April%16%–%23)%% Credits( Maria%Hassabi:%PLASTIC%is%coGcommissioned%by%the%Hammer%Museum,%Los%Angeles;% the%Museum%of%Modern%Art,%New%York;%and%the%Stedelijk%Museum,%Amsterdam.% The%work%has%received%addi+onal%funding%from%the%Jerome%Founda+on;% the%Lower%ManhaYan%Cultural%Council’s%Extended%Life%Program%2013G2014;% French%Ins+tute%Alliance%Française;%the%Oﬃce%for%Contemporary%Art%Norway% and%a%generous%support%from%Steve%Kahn.%

Vimeo:%hYps://vimeo.com/124256239%%% Password:%plas+cmh% 43%min%excerpt 10

PLASTIC%(2015):%Hammer%Museum,%Los%Angeles.'Installa+on%view,%Gallery%6

MARIA HASSABI GLANCES Thomas J. Lax

Associate Curator, Department of Media and Performance Art

exhibition. Taking place underfoot in the transitional spaces of a museum known for its crowds, the work can be seen from multiple vantage points and inverts the typical relationship between performer and viewer so that it is the dancer who appears static and the onlooker who moves. Since 1999, Hassabi’s choreography has explored the experience of intense looking: its limits and possibilities. In PREMIERE (2013), upon entering the theater, viewers were confronted by five performers in distinct poses, situated between two bright walls constructed of dozens of theatrical lights. Without the performers’ entrance, the dance seemed to be already in progress, but in fact it began—indeed, premiered— with the audience’s arrival. Likewise, INTERMISSION (2013), developed for a former gymnasium that housed the Cypriot and Lithuanian Pavilion at the 2013 Venice Biennale, reflected its title as the dancers stood and stretched according to set choreography, providing pause from the main exhibition’s frenetic energy. Like PLASTIC, Hassabi’s earlier works toy with or erase the

You’re confronted with someone lying in front of you as you walk up a staircase on your way to the galleries at The Museum of Modern Art. Is she asleep? Is she unconscious? She moves but remains prone and in your way. Do you help? Turn away? Stop and keep looking? Over the past decade, choreographer and artist Maria Hassabi has developed a distinct movement language she calls the “velocity of deceleration.”1 In PLASTIC (2015), Hassabi and her cast of more than a dozen dancers move at a barely perceptible pace down two of MoMA’s most visible staircases and across its iconic Marron Atrium, where the artist has placed seating borrowed from across the Museum’s public spaces. Shifting from one position to another, the performers recall images of repose, collapse, and transition. A sound score designed by Morten Norbye Halvorsen, with song fragments by Marina Rosenfeld, accompanies their movements. The live installation— a term Hassabi coined—is performed continuously during opening hours, reformatting the duration of a theatrical performance as a month-long museum 2

Maria Hassabi. INTERMISSION. 2013. Performed at the Cypriot and Lithuanian Pavilion, 55th Venice Biennale, May 28– June 4, 2013. With Phanos Kyriacou’s installation, Eleven hosts, twenty-one guests, nine ghosts (2013). Courtesy the artist. Photo by Robertas Narkus 3

Maria Hassabi. PREMIERE. 2013. Performed at The Kitchen, New York, as part of Performa 13, November 6–9, 2013. Performers (left to right): Maria Hassabi, Andros Zins-Browne, Hristoula Harakas, Biba Bell, and Robert Steijn. Courtesy the artist. Photo by Paula Court

viewing conventions of their sites, encouraging viewers to become more aware of their own experience of looking and the ways in which that act individualizes every performance. In 2012, Hassabi made The Ladies, a short video derived from footage of guerrilla performances that took place over two months across Manhattan. Duos of female performers dressed in black clothing, sunglasses, and bright red lipstick—the routine fashion of New York’s art scene—showed up on subway platforms and street corners, in galleries, and at cafés and demonstrations to stand still, look, and be looked at. When they arrived at The Museum of Modern Art, they were asked to leave because their action was interpreted as disruptive. Hassabi’s video records the public both ignoring and staring at

the performers, apparently finding “the ladies” either alluring or disconcerting. What exactly is threatening about Hassabi’s stilled movement? Hassabi’s practice deals with, in her words, “the relationship of a body to images,”2 and she often composes her work as a pictorial sequence. To make SoloShow (2009), for example, she selected over three hundred iconic images of the female figure from across history and mediums—from ancient sculpture to contemporary hip-hop publicity photos—which she then embodied, shifting from one pose to another for an hour on a large black pedestal surrounded with bright white lights. Similarly, in PLASTIC, Hassabi and her dancers don’t simply move slowly from one pose to the next. Rather, they juxtapose movement with prolonged 4

he dubbed a “photographic score-catalogue,”3 a solo male performer takes on everyday poses, often holding them for up to fifteen seconds. He walks, sits down, gets up, puts on a series of outfits, standing still throughout, and in the process calls into question what constitutes a dance.4 In Yvonne Rainer’s Performance Documentation (1968), three slide carousels project documentation of her dance Stairs. In a series of photographs, performers are shown climbing and descending a short staircase and interacting with foam props, their bodies resembling the materials with which they interact; they become, in Rainer’s words, “theater-objects.”5 Used in this way, photography becomes a structuring paradox, art historian Carrie LambertBeatty has argued, in which “the felt body of the dancer is both intensely present and . . . already a trace.”6 The interface of photography and dance

stillness, giving us time to consider them as pictures flooded with multiple references. For example, the dancers’ rounded torsos and twisted limbs at once resemble images of falling bodies, made readily accessible in a culture saturated by documentation of war, and nineteenth-century paintings of odalisques, Orientalist fantasies of concubines lying on erotic display. Oscillating between these references, the dancers embody power and submission, using banal movement to create spectacular scenes. Like photographs without captions, the performers seem to inhabit shots captured by someone else and projected onto them by the viewer’s gaze. Hassabi’s interest in images builds on a history of choreography, particularly in the United States since the 1960s, that is self-conscious about its relationship to photography. In Steve Paxton’s Flat (1964), for example, which

Maria Hassabi. The Ladies. 2012. Performers (left to right): Biba Bell and Sarah Beth Percival. Still from video, color, sound, 10 min. Courtesy the artist 5

Maria Hassabi. PLASTIC. 2015. Rehearsal at MoMA, October 30, 2015. Performer: Maria Hassabi. Photo by Julieta Cervantes. ÂŠ 2015 The Museum of Modern Art, New York 6

creates tension between the performing subject and his treatment as an object, between the actual physical form of a live body and her photographic mediation. PLASTIC’s performers extend twodimensional photographic images into three-dimensional space. Many of their poses can be described using the language of classical Western sculpture, beginning with the figure who stands contrapposto with his weight on one foot, suggesting past and future movement and fusing equipoise with tension. But in its use of space, PLASTIC bears the hallmark of modern sculpture: it is meant to be seen from all sides as opposed to frontally, the way it would be in a traditional proscenium theater. In this regard, it is illuminating to consider Hassabi’s work in relation to Auguste Rodin’s7 sculpture Torso of Adèle. The artist molded this sensuous headless female figure from clay, by hand, in front of his model, Adèle Abbruzzesi, and then joined her likeness to a wooden base so that the pedestal became part of the artwork. Art historian Rosalind Krauss has described

the figure fused with its ground as “nomadic” or “homeless” because it carries its own context.8 Like Adèle, Hassabi and her dancers stay close to the ground, appearing to be absorbed by the floor as their heads are obscured and their limbs often remain out of sight. Rodin’s fragmenting of the body was informed by his collection of Greek and Roman figurative sculptures, which were often without their original limbs. Hassabi’s work bears a similarly truncated relationship to ancient mythology, in which artists everywhere bring statues to life. In Ovid’s Pygmalion, for example, the celibate sculptor carves a woman out of ivory. He is so enamored with his own skill that he falls for her and asks the goddess Venus to turn her into a real woman. Ovid writes that Pygmalion “speaking love, caresses it with loving hands that seem to make an impress, on the parts they touch, so real that he fears he then may bruise her by his eager pressing.”9 As “it” becomes “she,” the line between affection and harm is as thin as the one between the inanimate and the living. For Hassabi, who is choreographer and dancer, artist and model, the intimacy between human subject and artistic object is ground zero. Hassabi’s work is filled with the tension between abjection and exaltation. She describes her references in a string of incongruous associations: “junkies in the middle of the street . . . luxurious figures at rest . . . a person forgotten in a corner of the city . . . people simply staring, sitting, standing.”10 What unifies these figures is their unproductiveness: they are avatars of what appears to be a breakdown in

Yvonne Rainer. Stairs. 1968. From The Mind Is a Muscle. Photo by Peter Moore. © Barbara Moore/ Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY. Courtesy Paula Cooper Gallery, NY 8

Hassabi, however, sequences her movement on a loop that each performer dances over several hours, making the repetitions nearly unrecognizable. While the choreography is set and reproduced multiple times a day for more than thirty days, at any given moment the dancers nevertheless appear to be distinct from one another. PLASTIC thus sits uncannily between multiple mediums—photography, sculpture, the digital loop—as it circulates charged and associative images inspired by the world. Without any contextual information, the meaning of the performers’ bodily contortions is plastic. The performers at once embody real scenarios and their representations, making it difficult to distinguish whether they are unconscious or resting, self-sufficient or in a state of crisis. As they move across the floor and down the stairs’ vertical pathways, they recall recognizable but absent figures. He breathes and his muscles tremble. You see tears well up in his left eye as his muscles quiver. He squints. The tremors and quakes are not signs of weakness or vulnerability; they are nonverbal, involuntary surface messages about the physical effects of time and arduous activity on the body. While these gestures may look like pain, they are the dancer’s nervous system communicating the physical effects of the duration of gravity and downward motion to anyone who might look long enough to see them.12 Perhaps you’ll have an encounter with the performer; maybe you’ll disregard him. But if you glance at the dance, if you become part of it, you might see something made familiar within its loop.

Auguste Rodin. Torso of Adèle. Before 1884. Terracotta, 4 5 16 × 14 3 4 × 6 7 16" (11 × 37.5 × 16.4 cm). Photo by Christian Baraja. Courtesy Musée Rodin

a manufacturing chain. But just as their apparent stillness is an illusion, so is that of PLASTIC’s dancers— their seeming passivity is actually the result of physical attention and virtuosity. PLASTIC is animated by this kind of artifice. The work’s staginess is self-conscious, inviting spectacle in order to exhaust it. For example, the performers’ costumes of gray blouses and jeans, to which the collective threeASFOUR applied rhinestones, are both neutral and decorated, giving their glamour an evacuated feel. Likewise, the work neither embraces nor refuses narrative, instead prolonging the viewer’s perception of it.11 It is impossible to anticipate where it is going; instead you experience it as an accumulation of the here and now. Dispersed to the periphery of the Museum’s Marron Atrium and staircases—the frame of the building—the performers repeat the same choreography like automatons unaware of one another. Choreography has long been structured as a series of dance phrases that are performed simultaneously by a group of dancers or repeated over the course of a performance so that they achieve symbolic and dramatic effect. 9

See conversation between Maria Hassabi and Victoria Marks, The Herb Alpert Awards in the Arts, http://herbalpertawards.org/artist/ chapter-one-0.

See Maria Hassabi and Scott Lyall, interview by Lauren Bakst, BOMB, February 11, 2014, http://bombmagazine.org/article/1000022/ scott-lyall-and-maria-hassabi.

10 Maria Hassabi, e-mail message to author, January 21, 2016.

Sally Banes, “Vital Signs: Steve Paxton’s Flat in Perspective,” in Writing Dancing in the Age of Postmodernism (Hanover: Wesleyan University Press, 1994), pp. 227–239.

Yvonne Rainer, “Don’t Give the Game Away,” Arts Magazine 41, no. 6 (April 1967): 47.

Carrie Lambert-Beatty, Being Watched: Yvonne Rainer and the 1960s (Cambridge, MIT Press: 2008), pp. 158, 160.

It is particularly fitting that Rodin’s Monument to Balzac (1898), which is in MoMA’s collection, is often installed on the platform at the bottom of the staircase on which PLASTIC takes place.

11 The author thanks Will Rawls for drawing his attention to this point.

Steve Paxton with Liza Béar, “Like the Famous Tree . . .,” Avalanche 11 (Summer 1975): 26.

Publius Ovidius Naso, “Pygmalion and the Statue,” in Metamorphoses, trans. Brookes More (Boston: Cornhill Publishing Co., 1922), p. 243.

12 Victoria Gray makes a similar argument in her article “The Choreography of Anticipation in Maria Hassabi’s PREMIERE,” TDR: The Drama Review 59, no. 3 (Fall 2015): 150–57.

Thanks to Stuart Comer, Kathy Halbreich, Maria Hassabi, Judy Hussie-Taylor, Ana Janevski, Martha Joseph, and Will Rawls for their feedback on earlier versions of this essay, and to Sara Bodinson, Jenna Madison, and Maria Marchenkova for editing it; to Eva Bochem-Shur, Claire Corey, and Tony Lee for designing this brochure and the exhibition’s graphic identity; to Mack ColeEdelsack for overseeing the exhibition design; and to Cara Manes and Ann Temkin for their support. The artist gratefully acknowledges the Jerome Foundation, Abrons Arts Center, collective address, The French Institute Alliance Française (FIAF), Kaaitheater, and MoMA PS1.

See Rosalind Krauss, “Sculpture in the Expanded Field,” October 8 (Spring 1979): 34.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Maria Hassabi is in conversation with Philip Bither, William and Nadine McGuire Director and Senior Curator, Performing Arts, Walker Art Center, on February 24 at 7pm in the Marron Atrium. Please visit moma.org/ mariahassabi for video documentation.

Please see moma.org/mariahassabi for a commissioned essay by Tim Griffin, Executive Director and Chief Curator, The Kitchen, and for the performers’ bios.

Maria Hassabi. SHOW. 2011. Performed at Le Mouvement: Performing the City, Biel, Switzerland, August 26–31, 2014. Performers (left to right): Hristoula Harakas and Maria Hassabi. Courtesy the artist. Photo by Alex Safari Kangangi

PERFORMANCE LOCATIONS

PLASTIC is on view in The Agnes Gund Garden Lobby staircase, The Donald B. and Catherine C. Marron Atrium, and

the wooden staircase between the fourthand fifth-floor galleries. On Fridays, PLASTIC is performed only in the Marron Atrium.

5th Floor

Staircase between the fourth- and fifth-floor galleries

The Donald B. and Catherine C. Marron Atrium

The Agnes Gund Garden Lobby

Garden Lobby staircase

PERFORMERS:

The Donald B. and Catherine C. Marron Atrium and The Agnes Gund Garden Lobby staircase: Hristoula Harakas, Maria Hassabi, Molly Lieber, Paige Martin, and Oisín Monaghan Staircase between fourth- and fifth-floor galleries: Michael Hell, Niall Jones, Tara Lorenzen, and Mickey Mahar The Donald B. and Catherine C. Marron Atrium: Simon Courchel, Jessie Gold, Neil Greenberg, Elizabeth Hart, Kennis Hawkins, Niall Jones, Shelley Senter, RoseAnne Spradlin, and David Thomson SOUND DESIGN: Morten Norbye Halvorsen SONG FRAGMENTS: Marina Rosenfeld STYLING: threeASFOUR PRODUCTION ASSISTANCE: Anton Bulayev ARTIST ASSISTANT: Kate Ryan

Maria Hassabi: PLASTIC is co-commissioned by The Museum of Modern Art, New York; the Hammer Museum, Los Angeles; and the Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam. At MoMA the exhibition is organized by Thomas J. Lax, Associate Curator, with Martha Joseph, Curatorial Assistant, Department of Media and Performance Art, and is produced by Lizzie Gorfaine, Performance Producer, with Kate Scherer, Assistant Performance Coordinator. Major support for the MoMA presentation is provided by MoMA’s Wallis Annenberg Fund for Innovation in Contemporary Art through the Annenberg Foundation and by The Jill and Peter Kraus Endowed Fund for Contemporary Exhibitions. Generous funding is provided by The Junior Associates of The Museum of Modern Art and The Modern Women’s Fund.

Living Contradiction

by Tim Griffin

When first taking account of Maria Hassabi’s PLASTIC (2015), audiences might initially reconsider just what it means to perform. For during the past decade, the production and reception of performance has radically shifted, if only by virtue of performance’s increasingly prominent role within museums, galleries, and alternative spaces usually reserved for visual art—where it is set among aestheticized objects and images, frequently becoming subject to a subtle pictorialization. Contrary to performance’s framing in recent art history as a discipline revolving around ephemeral events and actions executed in the immediate presence of audience members, performance in the contemporary context (and, more specifically, in the white cube) often remains at a quiet remove, even when a performer is ostensibly within arm’s reach. In other words, performance is something primarily to be seen rather than encountered. And this imagistic quality has only been amplified as performances in museums and galleries are often oriented toward other moments in time, either modeled after photographic documentation of performances from the past—obtaining, in effect, the virtual sensibility of a picture rendered in space—or anticipating their

own photographic reproduction and circulation as so many images in turn.1 Such shifts in how performance is put forward as a medium have necessitated a shift in even the most basic language for how performance is evaluated in art today: To perform within the context of contemporary art is to embrace a contradiction—between object and image, and between singular and circulated event—that is only now being recognized and urgently engaged as such by a new generation of artists and their audiences. Amid this ambiguous backdrop, Maria Hassabi’s practice is remarkably resonant. Known for choreographies whose fantastically slow unfolding heightens such changing relationships between corporeality and pictorialism, Hassabi reflexively places herself at the very interstice of our competing understandings of performance today. In a 2015 artist’s statement, she goes so far as to acknowledge explicitly that her work is “centered on the relation of body to image…, draw[ing] its strength from the tension between the human subject and the artistic object,” with her performers (who work close to the ground) assuming “an uncanny sculptural quality….”2 Accordingly, even when Hassabi is working in an explicitly theatrical setting, she is apt to use titles such as SHOW— emphasizing the moment of presentation and display inextricably bound to the beginning of any temporal arc onstage—while nevertheless destabilizing conventional demarcations of performer and viewer, underscoring the physical reality bound within any constructed illusion. Looking at photographic documentation of SHOW, for example, one finds Hassabi and her partner, dancer Hristoula Harakas, nearly entwined with one another, surrounded by a tightly packed crowd of audience members who clearly share not only the stage but also the production’s demanding physical parameters. Just as the dancers are contorted on the floor, executing only the most minute actions, so the audience must labor to be perfectly still and attentive, effectively mirroring such action in a minor mode, inevitably becoming aware of their own physical positioning. Gravity and pressure points—and even boredom—register palpably, in both musculature and mind. The audience assumes a material presence, both for itself and within the larger scope of Hassabi’s work. The implications of this audience engagement along such visual and corporeal axes are all the more provocative given that Hassabi is among the few choreographers today who regularly shuttles between theater and gallery contexts, even presenting the same works (to say nothing of the same choreographic modes) in these different settings. Such restaging inevitably provides Hassabi’s various works with different valences, putting on display not only different

aspects of her practice but also the different effects produced by varying institutional settings and their distinct protocols. To offer the plainest explanation here: audiences in galleries are typically mobile—with viewing hours allowing for sporadic visits to the performance space—whereas those in theaters are often seated for a specific duration, which subsequently creates a kind of parallel, if distinct, experience for performer and viewers. So it is that SHOW would (after its premiere at The Kitchen in New York) be presented at Antwerp’s Middelheim Museum and Kunsthall Oslo, among other venues, where audiences could easily circumnavigate cool, open gallery spaces, able to contemplate the dancers more in passing and with a kind of intellectual detachment. By contrast, the same work in its theatrical version, while retaining the stuff of images, still harbors one material element that cannot be reproduced: those who experienced this work in person will recall the room’s gradually increasing temperature, with the work’s intense lighting generating enough heat to make the space nearly suffocating. Just as the body was no longer transparent for audiences in this situation, so the physical apparatus of the theater itself (bodily positioning writ large) became apparent not through deconstruction but instead through heightened intensity. This underscores a crucial transition in choreography—and even suggests an outright inversion of its terms—during the past half century. Consider how Hassabi’s choreography evokes, for many critics

Maria Hassabi. SHOW. 2011. Performed at Le Mouvement: Performing the City, Biel, Switzerland, August 26–31, 2014. Performers: Hristoula Harakas and Maria Hassabi. Courtesy the artist. Photo: Alex Safari Kangangi

of her work, the example of legendary choreographer Steve Paxton, whose proposition of “small dance” during the 1970s revolved around the premise of dancers doing nothing more than standing. The model suggests choreography composed simply of what the structural scaffolding behind physiognomy (skeleton and tissue, here in dialogue with the pull of gravity) allows. And indeed, seen through the prism of such work, Hassabi’s choreographic practice may also be said to gravitate to and put forward a set of material possibilities—for example, the body as a structural scaffold. Yet integral to her work is an acknowledgment of how such an analysis, and premise, also demands some expansion of scope to include considerations of the physical stage, which after all corresponds with any bodies set there—and which, more specifically, operates as a mechanism determining the conditions by which any body might be rendered visible. Put another way, the elemental visage of Hassabi’s object is necessarily in dialogue with its frame. The body is inseparable from its look, and therefore historical questions of the body necessarily extend to the very rendering of its image. (To borrow a Kantianism, she forces an institutional consideration of what makes a body an object of possible experience.) In this respect, as Hassabi speaks of the lighting for another work, PREMIERE, which consisted of an amazing array of can lights installed as a nearly blinding wall on one side of her dance, she remarks,

Maria Hassabi. PREMIERE. 2013. Performed as part of Performa 13, The Kitchen, New York, November 6–9, 2013. Courtesy the artist. Photo: Paula Court

It isn’t something deep and mysterious that changes the tone of the space and gives it an artificial effect. Instead it is prominent in your vision—it’s almost like another performing body in the space. Because I like to insist the word “theater” means seeing-place, the lights are very important as what enables us to see.3 In fact, the foregrounding of such institutional conditions for visuality pervade Hassabi’s work, whether taking the shape of an array of low-standing fixtures set along the stage’s perimeter in SHOW (2011) or a group of such lights at center stage (with their power cords winding toward every wall offstage) in the previous year’s Robert & Maria (2010)—in which the artist and fellow dancer Robert Steijn simply stared into each other’s eyes. And yet even here body and architecture operate in parallel; as if to contradict again the primacy of images, the physical mechanism for seeing became apparent as each dancer’s tear ducts began welling up. A question remains, however, as to how far to extend such a grasp of the body, and in this regard it seems noteworthy that—however much Hassabi’s exacting physicality elicits profound reactions in its moment of enactment—the conditions of visibility for certain of her works are steeped in cultural source material pulled from a broad history of images that includes art, fashion, sports, music videos, and magazine editorials. For example, SoloShow (2009) incorporated movements and poses based on representations of women in spheres from fine art and classical dance to popular media and athletic competition. Such occasions suggest that Hassabi’s work navigates a significantly broader institutional ground. For her, choreography in these instances adopts a cyclical mode with respect to mediation, moving from image to body to image again—realizing material from pictures in bodily form, yet intentionally

and self-consciously retaining this pictorial quality in space. In this vein, Hassabi’s movement—and, as intriguingly, her stated allusion to sculptural form in dance—offers a compelling turn on appropriation work by artists in the late 1970s and early 1980s. (Perhaps this should come as no surprise. As was the case for artists from Dara Birnbaum to Cindy Sherman, Hassabi engages questions of representation only while using media as a material—as when, for instance, she clads her dancers in apparel designed by the contemporary fashion mainstay threeASFOUR.) Consider Hassabi’s extended contortions in choreography alongside Robert Longo’s Men in the Cities (1979)—a series of distended figure studies that began with a single sculptural wall frieze based on a still from Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s The American Soldier. This original piece, which was later rendered by the artist as a charcoal drawing, features a man whose arched back and tossed-back head denote the moment of his death by shooting. As described by art historian Douglas Crimp, who included the frieze in his legendary 1977 Pictures exhibition, Longo’s work captured a move in cinema from the long take to the freeze frame. This technical shift allowed the artist to register a kind of “shock” whose temporality determined the work’s hybrid nature. As Crimp writes, “Longo suspends the moment between life and death in the ambiguous stasis of a picture. And the odd result is this picture/object has all the elegance of a dance.”4 One may well suggest that the converse is true for Hassabi. As the artist reintroduces extended time—or the “long take”—in her work, her dance assumes all the elegance of a picture/object with complete selfawareness. Intriguingly, Crimp’s perspective on Longo’s hybrid image/object seems to correspond across the decades with art historian Hal Foster’s more recent description of contemporary performance in the gallery setting as something “not quite alive, not quite dead”— with the implication being that Hassabi reanimates, or dramatizes anew, the attending stakes.5

Robert Longo. Untitled (Men in the Cities). 1979/2009. Set of three blackand-white photos, 20 × 16" (50.8 × 40.6 cm). Courtesy of the artist and Metro Pictures, New York

Maria Hassabi. Still from The Ladies. 2011. Video (color, sound), 10 min. Performers: Rebecca Brooks and Biba Bell. Courtesy the artist

Notably, Longo’s work was interpreted by some critics as having captured the stress exerted by contemporary capitalism on human subjectivity—and here again one may consider how Hassabi’s work transposes such concerns for another era. Especially telling is how Hassabi’s specific attention to temporality—and its material effect—has been remarked on by her own dancers. (When it comes to establishing such ties between material and temporality, Hassabi herself has gone so far as to cite theorist Paul Virilio’s adage that form is but a “technical pursuit of time,” which is all the more provocative for Hassabi’s work given her critical combinations of image and object.6) For example, in Hassabi’s 2011 video The Ladies—a short piece featuring two female dancers executing pareddown movements in public settings such as midtown sidewalks and The Museum of Modern Art’s garden— the artist takes Longo’s figures offstage, out of the gallery, and back into the city as allegorized through images of its streets and public squares. In the former case, per the account of one of Hassabi’s collaborators, Biba Bell, the performance—by virtue of establishing cadences distinctly at odds with those of the urban fabric surrounding them—rendered habitual behaviors newly and immediately visible, suggesting how the architecture (both physical and structural) modeled behaviors.7 In fact, this dialogue was made all the more palpable by virtue of Hassabi’s work having made that real landscape scenographic. The Ladies is incredibly pertinent for considering PLASTIC, particularly as it is situated in a museum context. On first consideration, PLASTIC summons so many other critical maneuvers of performance within sponsoring institutions in the past: figures occupy and move throughout its public spaces, whether stairwell, hallway, or atrium, and whether those areas are meant for circulation of contemplation. And, in fact, as Hassabi’s dancers reside in these areas, audiences are newly cognizant—and forced out of—their paths, caught between the acts of looking and navigating.

In turn, audiences will be apt to become newly cognizant of, and potentially alter, their physical paths and cultural behaviors. A museum visitor will have to step to the side of a body lying down across so many steps, for example. The social dimension of such a tension between object- and subject-hood—or better, of a figure that is at once an aesthetic figure and laborer—will be difficult, if nevertheless incisive, when it comes to the conditions of visibility in society more broadly speaking. This last aspect of Hassabi’s work asks us to consider the recounted experience of another dancer, Harakas, whose execution of Hassabi’s slowmoving choreography in SHOW has been described as a sequence of connections made and released among dancers, with one encounter giving way to the next.8 Her words suggest a vastly changed idea of choreographic production (and sequence) and, in fact, bear an uncanny resemblance to philosopher Paolo Virno’s model for economic structures after networked communication. Saying the workplace is a “virtuosic” sphere, Virno claims that the character of performance—a mode of communication among individuals where ostensibly nothing is produced but itself—is now germane to daily life.9 (To wit, Steve Paxton’s plain, everyday life as denoted in dance during the 1970s is not our life lived today.10) In other words, communication in the contemporary cultural sphere is often valued in its own right; and it is, further, communication for the purpose of generating more communication in turn that is valued most. By such a measure, in Hassabi’s work one finds Virno’s conceit of the post-Fordist virtuosic realized in form. The activity of performance, as he writes on the term and its new relevance for general culture, is an activity which finds its own fulfillment (that is, its own purpose) in itself, without objectifying itself into an end product, without settling into a “finished product,” or into an object which would survive the performance. Secondly, it is an activity which requires the presence of others, which exists only in the presence of an audience.11 And such form inevitably inflects its surroundings: viewers will pass through constellations of figures whose very stillness is apt to suggest those anonymous figures set within architectural renderings of proposed museum spaces just in order to give a sense of scale— such that the artifice of the viewing experience itself becomes apparent through this sense of such a space having been rendered. Her “long take” in real space renders the behavior of audiences within the museum’s frame a kind of image/object in itself.12 This same stillness—which gives rise to a dance with the elegance of an image/object, to turn Crimp’s words again—marks a decided shift from artistic projects engaging museums in previous decades. Indeed, whereas such previous critical endeavors were

Maria Hassabi. INTERMISSION. 2013. Performed in Phanos Kyriacou’s Eleven hosts, twenty-one guests, nine ghosts (2013) and Gabriel Lester’s Cousin (2013), Cypriot and Lithuanian Pavilion, 55th Venice Biennale, May 28–June 4, 2013. Courtesy the artist. Photo: Robertas Narkus

often termed interventions—as they grappled with the structures of a given institution in order to reveal how they administrate meaning and, by extension, power—Hassabi’s work presents an alternative model of intermission. A title for a similar performance work Hassabi executed for the Lithuania/Cyprus pavilion as part of the 2013 Venice Biennale, INTERMISSION, is especially telling in this respect. Set in a gymnasium near the city’s Arsenale hall, the exhibition consisted of sculptural installations from numerous artists, in the midst of which Hassabi’s dancers performed— eluding at first glance any neat categorization of performer, spectator, or pedestrian, but coming into focus as choreographed figures as time passed and, more specifically, as their stillness established a parenthetical contrast in space with the tempo of visitors to the surrounding biennial. Indeed, Hassabi’s alternate temporality does not orient viewers to any chronological moment before or after the performance. Instead, the shift takes place within the specific context. Hassabi’s critical mode, which looks more to structures of visibility than to those of signification, is most enigmatic and potentially provocative in her foray into PLASTIC’s occupation of MoMA’s atrium: painting some of the museum walls gray—implicitly asking

audiences to consider changed circumstances for performance by creating a space that is neither black box nor white cube—Hassabi also installs furniture from the museum’s public spaces in the atrium. This displacement also calls attention to an altered landscape for viewership when it comes to performance in the museum, which increasingly employs experiencebased artwork in order to attract an ever-larger public for whom performance, as Virno would have it, is the language of our day. Even the vicariousness of lived experience in hybrid settings, in which, say, work and leisure are never entirely distinct—or where leisure and its particular mode of attention and distraction are even the stuff of industry—are uniquely implicated.13 Here, the museum system itself seems on display as an aesthetic object. Indeed, in a sense, Hassabi here literalizes the contradiction of performance as an image and object—with a gray lounge set within a white cube, and the dancer a stand-in for the audience member, both beholding architecture and enacting a choreography. In this respect, PLASTIC then underlines how not only the artwork but also the audience is produced by institutional frames and the protocols of space—and Hassabi prompts audiences to picture themselves within the dance at hand.

Tim Griffin is Executive Director and Chief Curator, The Kitchen. Edited by Martha Joseph, Thomas J. Lax, and Jason Persse. Special thanks to Jill and Peter Kraus. Published in conjunction with Maria Hassabi: PLASTIC, The Museum of Modern Art, February 21–March 20, 2016.

Maria Hassabi: PLASTIC is co-commissioned by The Museum of Modern Art, New York; the Hammer Museum, Los Angeles; and the Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam. The exhibition at MoMA is organized by Thomas J. Lax, Associate Curator, with Martha Joseph, Curatorial Assistant, Department of Media and Performance Art, and is produced by Lizzie Gorfaine, Performance Producer, with Kate Scherer, Assistant Performance Coordinator. Major support for the MoMA presentation is provided by MoMA’s Wallis Annenberg Fund for Innovation in Contemporary Art through the Annenberg Foundation and by The Jill and Peter Kraus Endowed Fund for Contemporary Exhibitions. Generous funding is provided by The Junior Associates of The Museum of Modern Art and by The Modern Women’s Fund.

If one wished to bookend such a development during the past 10 years, a revolutionary beginning would be offered by Marina Abramovic’s Seven Easy Pieces at the Guggenheim Museum in 2006 and, subsequently, the artist’s survey at The Museum of Modern Art, for which she transposed historical works for the contemporary setting. Regarding the former project, see Johanna Burton, “Repeat Performance,” Artforum (January 2006), 55–56, in which the author describes how the artist’s reenactments were “sophisticated holograms, both present and past, fact and fiction.” The latter work was notable for rendering work from previous decades more explicitly pictorial, with the exhibition placing performers, whether standing or set within dioramas, “in the same gallery but not in the same social space as audiences”—as I wrote at the time—marking a turn among institutional presentations of performance-based and participatory artwork. See my “Postscript: The Museum Revisited,” Artforum (Summer 2010), 330. Visual artists have more recently frequently taken up such changed terms for performance-based work. For example, Elad Lassry’s Presence, in 2012 at The Kitchen, sought to present a work reflexively as a picture, inverting his stated desire— regarding his more widely known photographs—to make pictures into sculptural objects. As a matter of anecdote, it seems noteworthy that Lassry’s efforts in this regard were modeled after the example of Charles Atlas, whose videos of choreographers do not merely document work but effectively transpose their form for another medium. Such an interstitial quality seems especially worth revisiting when contemplating our current moment. Maria Hassabi, “Artist Statement,” unpublished (New York, 2015), p. 3.

Lauren Bakst, “Scott Lyall and Maria Hassabi,” Bomb (February 11, 2014). See http://bombmagazine.org/article/1000022/scott-lyalland-maria-hassabi. Accessed on February 16, 2016.

Douglas Crimp, Pictures, exh. cat. (New York: Artists Space, 1977), p. 26.

Hal Foster, “In Praise of Actuality,” Bad New Days (New York: Verso, 2015), p. 127.

It is noteworthy that another prominent choreographer of our day, Ralph Lemon, who is similarly grappling with the museum context,

has pointed to the same quote form the philosopher. See James Hannaham, “Ralph Lemon,” Bomb, http://bombmagazine.org/ article/6615/ralph-lemon. Accessed February 10, 2016. 7

Biba Bell, “Slow Work: Dance’s temporal effort in the visual sphere,” Performance Research (Vol. 19, issue 3), pp. 129–134.

Writing on the structure of this work as laid out by Hassabi in conversation, author Jenn Joy suggests that such discrete sequences of connections extend from performers to audience as well. See Jenn Joy, “Dear N1,” Danse: An Anthology, Noémie Solomon, ed. (Lyon: Les presses du réel, 2013), pp. 225–27.

Paolo Virno, “Day Two: Labor, Action, Intellect,” A Grammar of the Multitude (New York: Semiotext(e), 2004), pp. 47–72. Although Virno’s proposition is by now very familiar, its potential correspondence with real artistic compositional technique is perhaps becoming legible only in more recent years.

At the same time, one should note that performance is actively in dialogue with its cultural moment. If Hassabi’s work renders visible a specific kind of social and institutional sphere in her work, the same could be said of, say, Vito Acconci’s Proximity Piece (1970), as his performance implicates audiences’ intuitive and acculturated understanding of personal space.

Virno, 52 (emphasis in the original).

At the risk of taking this premise a bridge too far, one may speculate that the “fictive” element in performance—and the scenographic context—also correlates with a rising sense of inauthenticity within the discipline. If authenticity was once partly measured by a particular, reflexive resistance to commercial forces and commodification, then what happens to the figures and models of resistance—the very parlance of performance in previous decades—when they become a basis for economic exchange in their own right?

Significantly, for an earlier presentation of the work at the UCLA Hammer Museum, Hassabi painted the typically white gallery walls a theatrical black, adorned one wall with stage lighting, carpeted the gallery floor and, at the center of the room, placed a large seat cushion occasionally used for repose by a single dancer.

THE BREEDER ! ! ! !

Maria Hassabi, PLASTIC (2015), The Museum of Modern Art, 2016. Photograph ÂŠ 2015 The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Photo: Julieta Cervantes

MARIA HASSABI

Maria Hassabi, DESTE Prize 2015, Museum of Cycladic Art, Athens

ΜΑΡΙΑ ΧΑΣΑΠΗ MARIA HASSABI

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The artist and choreographer Maria Hassabi’s performances and live installations of the past decade have been described as explorations of stillness, slowness, and sustained movement. Even more so, her works—produced for galleries, theaters, and public spaces—address the separation between the spectacular and the everyday, between subject and object, between bystander and viewer—while addressing the ways in which dance and the spectacle of performance is presented in theatrical and exhibition contexts. Performance-based works such as these are rooted in the discourse of sculptural time. As much as they negotiate the specific parameters of exhibition, display, and presentation in the murky area that sits between museum and theater contexts, Hassabi’s works are equipped to reconcile the living and breathing temporality of sculpture with the forms of movement that are inherent to performance. To this end, the curator Raimundas Malašauskas recently characterized them as “living sculptures,” akin to a “volcano that moves slow, takes its time and attempts to be still.” This description of INTERMISSION (2013)—a live installation developed and performed in the context of the exhibition oO in the Cypriot and Lithuanian Pavilion at the 2013 Venice Biennale— plays on metaphors of stillness, potentiality, and the slowness of geologic time, which have been key aspects of Hassabi’s work. Through a practice that spans disciplines, Hassabi confronts exhibition time and the standard modes of operating that institutions within the visual arts have come to rely on. The very same year that Hassabi debuted her work in Venice, there were a handful of other “living installations” by artists such as John Bock, Manuel Pelmus and Alexandra Pirici, and Tino Sehgal that elided the same conventions of display as a static phenomenon but to very different ends. The tendency to use living actors as theatrical props/agents in extended performances has become an industry standard, rooted in a recent discourse of presence and presentness that was ushered in (again) with no statement as grand as the presentation of Marina Abramović: The Artist Is Present at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 2010, which provided visitors with the opportunity to engage the artist in an unscripted staring contest. Writing in response to this monumental work, the performance theorist and historian Amelia Jones asked, “What are we to do with the fact that, when the art world and its corollary discourses such as curating, art criticism, and art history scholarship . . . embrace performance they seem inevitably to turn live acts into objects?” Commentary such as this is commonplace enough in an era that has become ever more dependent on the role of “live art” within museum programming that responds to the demand for novel ways of engaging a public that seeks out entertainment rather than the potentially alienating encounter one can have when viewing otherwise indifferent objects of art. In contrast, and perhaps shying away from “engaging experiences,” Hassabi’s prolonged choreographic works pursue unmediated forms of presence and presentness as an encounter with the physical body as an almost sculptural form. By extension, the very mediated nature of performance as a form of spectacle with theatrical origins is περφόρµανς έχει εξελιχθεί σε σταθερά, ριζωµένη σε έναν καινούργιο λόγο παρουσίας και παροντικότητας, σπουδαιότερη (και πάλι) αναγγελία του οποίου ήταν η παρουσίαση της Marina Abramovic The Artist Is Present. Σε αυτήν την περφόρµανς, στο Μουσείο Μοντέρνας Τέχνης της Νέας Υόρκης το 2010, οι επισκέπτες είχαν την ευκαιρία να συναγωνιστούν µε την καλλιτέχνιδα µέσω των επίµονων βλεµµάτων ανάµεσά τους. Απαντώντας σε αυτό το µνηµειώδες έργο, η θεωρητικός και ιστορικός της περφόρµανς Amelia Jones ρωτά: «Πώς µπορούµε να αντιµετωπίσουµε το γεγονός ότι ο κόσµος της τέχνης, καθώς και ο λόγος που παράγει, όπως η επιµέλεια εκθέσεων, η κριτική τέχνης και η µελέτη της ιστορίας της

τέχνης ... όταν συµπεριλαµβάνουν την περφόρµανς µοιάζουν αναπόφευκτα να µετατρέπουν ζωντανές πράξεις σε αντικείµενα;». Σχόλια όπως αυτό είναι αρκετά συχνά σε µια εποχή που υπολογίζει περισσότερο από ποτέ στο ρόλο της «ζωντανής τέχνης» στα µουσειακά προγράµµατα, καλύπτοντας τη ζήτηση για πρωτότυπους τρόπους συµµετοχής του κοινού, το οποίο αναζητά περισσότερο διασκέδαση παρά τη δυνητικά αποξενωτική συνάντηση που µπορεί να βιώσει κανείς βλέποντας αδιάφορα κατά τ’ άλλα αντικείµενα τέχνης. Αντίθετα, και ίσως αποφεύγοντας «συµµετοχικές εµπειρίες», τα παρατεταµένα χορογραφικά έργα της Χασάπη αναζητούν αδιαµεσολάβητες µορφές παρουσίας και παροντικότητας

DESTE PRIZE 2015

ΒΡΑΒΕΙΟ ∆ΕΣΤΕ 2015

Γεννήθηκε το 1973 στη Λευκωσία. Ζει και εργάζεται στην Νέα Υόρκη. Born in 1973 in Nicosia, Cyprus. Lives and works in New York, NY, USA.

Οι παραστάσεις και οι ζωντανές εγκαταστάσεις της εικαστικού και χορογράφου Μαρίας Χασάπη κατά την τελευταία δεκαετία έχουν περιγραφεί ως διερευνήσεις της ακινησίας, της βραδύτητας και της συνεχούς κίνησης. Επιπλέον, τα έργα της –που δηµιουργούνται για γκαλερί, θέατρα και δηµόσιους χώρους– αφορούν στον διαχωρισµό µεταξύ του θεαµατικού και του καθηµερινού, του υποκειµένου και του αντικειµένου, του παριστάµενου και του θεατή –ενώ εγκύπτουν στους τρόπους µε τους οποίους ο χορός και το θέαµα της παράστασης παρουσιάζεται σε θεατρικό και εκθεσιακό πλαίσιο. Έργα όπως αυτά, µε βάση την περφόρµανς, έχουν τις ρίζες τους στο λόγο του γλυπτικού χρόνου. Μολονότι πραγµατεύονται τις συγκεκριµένες παραµέτρους της έκθεσης, της παρουσίασης και της επίδειξης στο ασαφές πεδίο µεταξύ µουσείου και θεάτρου, τα έργα της Χασάπη έχουν τα µέσα για να συµφιλιώσουν την ολοζώντανη χρονικότητα της γλυπτικής µε τις µορφές της κίνησης που είναι εγγενείς στην περφόρµανς. Προς τούτο ο επιµελητής Raimundas Malašauskas πρόσφατα τα χαρακτήρισε «ζωντανά γλυπτά», παρόµοια µε «ηφαίστειο που κινείται αργά, δεν βιάζεται και επιχειρεί να µείνει ακίνητο». Η περιγραφή αυτή του INTERMISSION (2013) – µιας ζωντανής εγκατάστασης που αναπτύχθηκε και παρουσιάστηκε στο πλαίσιο της έκθεσης oO στο Κυπριακό και Λιθουανικό Περίπτερο της Μπιενάλε της Βενετίας το 2013– παίζει µε σύµβολα ακινησίας, δυνητικότητας και βραδύτητας του γεωλογικού χρόνου, που αποτελούν βασικές πτυχές του έργου της Χασάπη. Μέσω µιας πρακτικής που γεφυρώνει διαφορετικά πεδία, η Χασάπη έρχεται αντιµέτωπη µε τον εκθεσιακό χρόνο και τους τυποποιηµένους τρόπους λειτουργίας στους οποίους βασίζονται πλέον οι θεσµοί εντός των εικαστικών τεχνών. Την ίδια χρονιά που η Χασάπη πρωτοπαρουσίασε το έργο της στη Βενετία, υπήρχαν αρκετές άλλες «ζωντανές εγκαταστάσεις» από καλλιτέχνες όπως ο John Bock, ο Manuel Pelmus και η Alexandra Pirici, και ο Tino Sehgal, που παρέλειπαν τις ίδιες συµβάσεις της παρουσίασης ως στατικού φαινοµένου αλλά µε πολύ διαφορετικούς σκοπούς. Η τάση να χρησιµοποιούνται ζωντανοί ηθοποιοί ως θεατρικά σκηνικά στοιχεία σε εκτεταµένες

ως συνάντηση µε το σώµα ως µια σχεδόν γλυπτική µορφή. Κατ’ επέκταση, η ίδια η διαµεσολαβηµένη φύση της περφόρµανς ως µορφής θεάµατος µε θεατρική προέλευση βρίσκεται στην καρδιά της πρακτικής της, ριζωµένη περισσότερο στη σχέση µεταξύ σωµατικότητας και ακινησίας, χορού και γλυπτικής –και τις ειδικές συνθήκες παρουσίασής τους σε σκηνικά σαν black-box και σαν γκαλερί, αντίστοιχα– παρά στην πρόσφατη επιµονή στα ζωντανά σώµατα ως δυναµικά αντικείµενα µέσα σε καλλιτεχνικά έργα βασισµένα στην εγκατάσταση. Η χορογραφία της Χασάπη αναζητά χαρακτηριστικά την ακινησία µέσω της κίνησης –η οποία χαρακτηρίζεται από παγετωνικό, τεκτονικό ρυθµό µεταβολής– που εµπλέκει εξίσου τις συγκεκριµένες συνθήκες στις οποίες παρουσιάζεται, είτε σε θέατρα ή γκαλερί είτε σε καθηµερινούς δηµόσιους χώρους. Όποιο και αν είναι το πλαίσιο της παρουσίασης, οι ζωντανές εγκαταστάσεις της αποτραβιούνται, αποφεύγοντας την παρουσία µε την παραδοσιακή έννοια της λέξης. Τα έργα της δείχνουν τη δική τους διαµεσολάβηση· είναι διακριτικά παρά τους τρόπους µε τους οποίους εκτυλίσσονται σε διάφορους χώρους και σε εκτεταµένες χρονικές περιόδους, τοποθετώντας τη Χασάπη ως χορογράφο σε ένα αντι-θεαµατικό εκφραστικό µέσο, αδιάφορη για τις προσδοκίες του θεατή, του κοινού, του µάρτυρα, του παρισταµένου. Η αδιαφορία αυτή είναι σηµαντική για τη διερεύνηση νέων τρόπων παρουσίασης στις παραστατικές και τις εικαστικές τέχνες, ενώ παράλληλα παραµένει βαθιά ριζωµένη σε µια Ιστορία του χορού.

MARIA HASSABI

at the crux of her practice, rooted more in the relationship between physicality and stillness, dance and sculpture—and the conditions that are specific to their presentations in black-box and gallerylike settings, respectively—than in the recent insistence on living bodies as impactful objects within installationbased artworks. Hassabi’s choreography is characteristically in pursuit of stillness through movement—characterized by a glacial, tectonic rate of change—which equally engage the specific conditions in which they are performed, whether in theaters or galleries or in ordinary public spaces. Whatever the context of presentation, her live installations recede, evading presence in the traditional sense of the word. Her works point to their own mediation; they are discrete despite the ways in which they unfold throughout varied spaces and over extended periods of time, positioning Hassabi as a choreographer of an anti-spectacular medium, indifferent to the expectations of viewer, audience, witness, bystander. This indifference is crucial to the exploration of new modes of presentation within both the performing and the visual arts, all the while remaining firmly rooted in a history of dance.

Μαρία Χασάπη, PREMIERE, 2013 Παρουσίαση στο The Kitchen, Νέα Υόρκη, µέρος της Performa 13 (6 – 9 Νοεµβρίου 2013) Ευγενική παραχώρηση της καλλιτέχνιδος Φωτο© Paula Court Maria Hassabi, PREMIERE, 2013 Presentation at The Kitchen, New York as part of Performa 13 (November 6 - 9, 2013) Courtesy the artist Photo© Paula Court

DESTE PRIZE 2015

ΒΡΑΒΕΙΟ ∆ΕΣΤΕ 2015

Aram Moshayedi (curator at the Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, where Hassabi’s PLASTIC debuted in 2015)

Aram Moshayedi (επιµελητής στο Hammer Museum του Λος Άντζελες, όπου πρωτοπαρουσιάστηκε το έργο της Χασάπη PLASTIC το 2015)

ΜΑΡΙΑ ΧΑΣΑΠΗ

MARIA HASSABI Σελίδα 73: Μαρία Χασάπη, SHOW, 2011 Παρουσίαση στο Le Mouvement: Performing the City, Μπίελ, Ελβετία (26 -31 Αυγούστου 2014) Ευγενική παραχώρηση της καλλιτέχνιδος Φωτο© Alex Safari Kangangi Page 73:

DESTE PRIZE 2015

ΒΡΑΒΕΙΟ ∆ΕΣΤΕ 2015

Maria Hassabi, SHOW, 2011 Presentation at Le Mouvement: Performing the City, Biel, Switzerland, August 26-31, 2014 Courtesy of the artist Photo© Alex Safari Kangangi

Μαρία Χασάπη, The Ladies, 2011 Στιγµιότυπα βίντεο Ευγενική παραχώρηση της καλλιτέχνιδος Φωτο© Francis Coy

Maria Hassabi, The Ladies, 2011 Stills from Video. Courtesy the artist Photo© Francis Coy

ΜΑΡΙΑ ΧΑΣΑΠΗ

DESTE PRIZE 2015

ΒΡΑΒΕΙΟ ∆ΕΣΤΕ 2015

MARIA HASSABI

Μαρία Χασάπη, PLASTIC, 2015 Απόψεις εγκατάστασης, Μουσείο Hammer, Λος Άντζελες (31 Ιανουαρίου – 1 Μαρτίου, 2015) Ευγενική παραχώρηση της καλλιτέχνιδος Φωτο© Thomas Poravas Maria Hassabi, PLASTIC, 2015 Installation views, Hammer Museum, Los Angeles (January 31 - March 1, 2015) Courtesy the artist Photo© Thomas Poravas

ΜΑΡΙΑ ΧΑΣΑΠΗ

ΕΡΓΑ ΣΤΗΝ ΕΚΘΕΣΗ

WORKS IN EXHIBITION

MARIA HASSABI

Μαρία Χασάπη, Wall, 2015 Εγκατάσταση µικτής τεχνικής µε 9 Par λάµπες, 9 µαύρα καλώδια ρεύµατος, ηλεκτρολογικό εξοπλισµό και χρώµα Μεταβλητές διαστάσεις Ευγενική παραχώρηση της καλλιτέχνιδος και της γκαλερί The Breeder, Αθήνα Φωτο© Thomas Poravas Maria Hassabi, Wall, 2015 Mixed media sculpture, 9 ETC Source Four Par, 9 black power cables, control cables, dimmers, paint, wall clips Dimensions variable Courtesy the artist and The Breeder, Athens Photo© Thomas Poravas

Σελίδες 77-79:

ΒΡΑΒΕΙΟ ∆ΕΣΤΕ 2015

Pages 77-79: Maria Hassabi, NANCY, 2015 Wax, plaster, metal bars, oil colors, clothing, rhinestones, Nike shoes, natural hair 38 x 178 x 108 cm Courtesy The Breeder, Athens Photo© George Sfakianakis

Μαρία Χασάπη Άποψη εγκατάστασης, Βραβείο ∆ΕΣΤΕ 2015, Μουσείο Κυκλαδικής Τέχνης, Αθήνα Wall, 2015 Εγκατάσταση µικτής τεχνικής Μεταβλητές διαστάσεις Dancers Manual, 2015 1000 έγχρωµες εκτυπώσεις σε χαρτί Α4 Shiro Echo 21 x 29,7 x 30 εκ. Ευγενική παραχώρηση της καλλιτέχνιδος και της γκαλερί The Breeder, Αθήνα Φωτο© Thomas Poravas Maria Hassabi Installation view, DESTE Prize 2015, Museum of Cycladic Art, Athens, Greece Wall, 2015 Mixed media sculpture Dimensions variable Dancers Manual, 2015 1000 A4 Shiro Echo Papers, Color ink 21 x 29,7 x 30 cm Courtesy the artist and The Breeder, Athens Photo© Thomas Poravas

ΜΑΡΙΑ ΧΑΣΑΠΗ

DESTE PRIZE 2015

Μαρία Χασάπη, NANCY, 2015 Κερί, γύψος, µεταλλικός σκελετός, λαδοµπογιές, ρούχα, στρας, παπούτσια Nike, φυσικά µαλλιά 38 x 178 x 108 εκ. Ευγενική παραχώρηση της γκαλερί The Breeder, Αθήνα Φωτο© Γιώργος Σφακιανάκης

MARIA HASSABI

ΜΑΡΙΑ ΧΑΣΑΠΗ

DESTE PRIZE 2015

ΒΡΑΒΕΙΟ ∆ΕΣΤΕ 2015

! !

Maria Hassabi, NANCY, 2015, Wax, plaster, metal bars, oil colors, clothing, rhinestones, Nike shoes, natural hair, 38 x 178 x 108 cm Installation view, DESTE Prize 2015, Museum of Cycladic Art, Athens, Greece

! Maria Hassabi, Installation view, DESTE Prize 2015, Museum of Cycladic Art, Athens, Greece Wall, 2015, Mixed media sculpture Dimensions variable Dancers Manual, 2015, 1000 A4 Shiro Echo Papers, Color ink, 21 x 29,7 x 30 cm !

Maria Hassabi, Wall, 2015, Mixed media sculpture, 9 ETC Source Four Par, 9 black power cables, control cables, dimmers, paint, wall clips, Dimensions variable, Installation view, DESTE Prize 2015, Museum of Cycladic Art, Athens, Greece

PREMIERE%(2013)

PREMIERE((2013)(–(DuraMon(83(min( PREMIERE%raised%ques+ons%about%the%no+on%of%the%‘premiere,’%that%fragile%moment%when%a% closed%crea+on%process%becomes%a%public%product.%In%its%evolu+on%from%process%into%product,% strong%feelings%of%an+cipa+on%emerge%as%a%new%element%is%added:%the%audience,%as%viewer% and%cri+c.%The%doors%leading%into%the%theater%open.%Five%dancers%are%exhibited%in%asymmetrical% poses%between%two%brightlyGlit%walls%constructed%from%theatrical%lights.%The%sculptural%bodies% move%with%a%confident%iner+a.%From%this%star+ng%posi+on,%PREMIERE%gently%evolves%into%a% series%of%tableauxGvivants%without%end,%as%five%solos%unfold%simultaneously%onstage.%In%the% shared%space,%and%with%a%minimalist%dramaturgy,%light%and%sound%also%become%fullGfledged% actors.%PREMIERE%composes%an%intense%universe%of%microscopic%events

Performers%Biba%Bell,%Hristoula%Harakas,%Maria%Hassabi,%Robert%Steijn,%Andros%ZinsGBrowne%% Sound(Design(Alex%Waterman  LighMng(Design(Zack%Tinkelman%and%Maria%Hassabi  Styling%threeASFOUR  Dramaturgy%ScoY%Lyall  ProducMon(Assistants(Meghan%Finn%and%Kate%Ryan% %% Shows( 2015%G%Het%Veem%Theater,%Amsterdam,%The%Netherlands%(April%10,%11)%

2014%G%Fes+val%für%Ak+onskunst,%Bern,%Switzerland%(December%3)  %%%%%%%%%%G%steirischer%herbst,%Graz,%Austria%(September%27,%28)  %%%%%%%%%%G%River%to%River%Fes+val,%New%York,%US%(June%27,%28)  %%%%%%%%%%G%NEAT%fes+val,%Nopngham,%UK%(May%23)  %%%%%%%%%%G%Göteborgs%Dans%&%Teater%Fes+val,%Göteborg,%Sweden%(May%20)  %%%%%%%%%%G%Kunstenfes+valdesarts,%Brussels,%Belgium%(May%3,4,5)  %%%%%%%%%%G%XING,%Bologna,%Italy%(April%10)%

2013%%G%Premiere:%The%Kitchen,%NYC,%as%part%of%Performa%13%(November%6,%7,%8,%9)%

Press( ‘You'watch'for'something6anything6to'break'loose.'You'feel'relief'and'triumph'to'no5ce'even' just'the'flow'of'breath'ruffling'through'a'dancer’s'back,'and'you'search'for'more'of'the'same.' Your'outer'and'inner'senses'reach'out.'Despite'yourself,'you'have'already'begun'to'live'in'this' dance…'The'work6an'endurance'trial'for'performers'and'audience'alike6is'a'knockout.’' Eva'Yaa'Asantewaa,'Infinite'Body,'November'7,'2013' %% Credits( PREMIERE%is%a%coGproduc+on%of%The%Kitchen%(New%York);%Performa%13;%Kunstenfes+valdesarts% (Brussels,%Belgium);%Kaaitheater%(Brussels,%Belgium);%steirischer%herbst%(Graz,%Austria);%Dance4% (Nopngham,%UK)%and%is%produced%with%the%support%of%the%Lower%ManhaYan%Cultural%Council’s% Extended%Life%Program.%The%work%has%received%addi+onal%funding%from%the%MAP%Fund,%the% Jerome%Founda+on,%LMCC%ManhaYan%Community%Arts%Fund%and%Mertz%Gilmore%Founda+on’s% LateGStage%Produc+on%S+pends.%PREMIERE%was%developed%through%residencies%at%Kaaitheater% (Brussels,%Belgium),%PaGf%(St%Erme,%France)%and%Mount%Tremper%Arts%(New%York). Vimeo:%hYps://vimeo.com/121960017%% Password:%hassabi% 16%min%excerpt

Vimeo:%hYps://vimeo.com/81459777/% Password:%premiere23% En+re%length%% 16

Text%on%PREMIERE%% Maria(Hassabi:(In(waiMng,(images(are(captured(( by'Kelly'Kivland''

Five% dancers% hold% s+ll% in% pensive% poses% under% an% astounding% installa+on% of% densely% configured%bright%lights.%Two%are%standing,%while%three%others%are%in%reclined%posi+ons% on%the%ground:%seemingly%mo+onless%figures%an+cipa+ng%what%one%could%associate%to% be% the% capturing% of% a% social% group% picture.% They% remain% fixed% in% these% posi+ons% for% upward% of% twenty% minutes,% long% enough% for% the% audience% to% wonder% just% when% the% dancer’s%will%break%their%stance,%their%silence,%their%stare.%% Over% the% past% ten% years,% Maria% Hassabi% has% developed% a% prac+ce% centered% on% the% rela+on% between% imageGmaking% and% the% body.% Her% choreography% captures% specific% images%and%defines%them%through%movements%performed%in%extended%dura+on.% In%the%opening%sequence%of%Hassabi’s%recent%work,%PREMIERE%(2013),%described%above,% the%viewer%becomes%fixated%on%the%details%of%the%poses%the%performers%embody.%The% performers% are% not% sta+c% figures,% however,% but% present% figures.% You% may% no+ce% the% angle% of% one’s% +lted% head,% another’s% awkwardly% skewed% foot,% or% how% the% reclined% posi+on% of% another’s% torso% casts% a% provoca+ve,% yet% almost% insecure% lean.% Rendered% through%incredibly%slow%movement,%images%are%captured.%% In%the%1970s,%postmodern%choreographer%Steve%Paxton%developed%the%“small%dance”,% or%the%ac+on%of%standing%s+ll,%an%idea%that%illustrates%the%physical%essence%of%Hassabi’s% work.%In%a%1975%interview%between%Paxton%and%performance%scholar%Peter%Hulton,%the% choreographer%elaborates%the%origins%of%the%“small%dance,”%sta+ng:%“Standing%s+ll%and% feeling%your%body.%Doing%absolutely%nothing%but%lepng%your%skeletal%muscles%hold%you% upright.% The% other% thing% is% boredom.% It% is% very% important% because% boredom% lets% the% mind% relax.”% Maria% Hassabi’s% work% is% situated% in% the% legacy% of% Paxton’s% theory% of% the% “small% dance,”% which% comes% forth% in% her% insistence% on% dura+onal% experimenta+on:% slowness,% s+llness,% and% what% one% may% even% deem% boredom,% or% a% sense% of% inac+vity.% Holding% true% to% these% elements,% her% work% is% a% prac+ce% in% abstrac+on,% exercised% through% the% reduc+on% of% +me% and% movement.% Yet,% while% her% use% of% abstrac+on% develops% a% percep+on% of% the% body% as% a% fragmented% form,% the% focused% dura+on% presents%the%body%as%an%affec+ng%force.%%

This%is%most%evident%in%Hassabi’s%work%of%the%past%five%years—the%eveningGlength%solos% SOLO%SHOW%(November%2009)%and%SOLO%(October%2009),%conceived%sequen+ally%as%a% diptych,% the% duet% SHOW% (2011)% performed% by% Hristoula% Harakas% and% Hassbi,% INTERMISSION% (2013),% a% group% work% commissioned% for% the% Cyprus% and% Lithuanian% Pavilion% at% the% 55th% Interna+onal% Art% Exhibi+on% of% la% Biennale% di% Venezia,% and% PREMIERE.% A% compelling% example% is% the% opening% sequence% of% SOLO% SHOW,% which% begins% with% Hassabi% poised% in% a% contorted% posi+on:% her% legs% strewn% sideways% across% the%front%corner%of%a%raised%black%plazorm,%her%upper%body%elevated%by%both%elbows% and%her%head%thrown%back,%veiling%her%face.%She%con+nues%to%shi]%into%strained%lying% posi+ons,% and% then% several% minutes% into% this% sequence,% she% begins% to% awkwardly% li]% herself%to%standing.%Interes+ng,%one%may%read%the%intense%physicality%of%her%movement% as% sugges+ve.% The% tension% that% results% from% the% ambiguity% between% effort% and% seduc+on% aims% to% confuse% common% representa+ons% of% the% female% body.% Likewise,% SOLO,%also%performed%by%Hassabi,%is%a%dynamic%eveningG%length%work%in%which%a%heavy% Persian%floor%carpet%becomes%her%ac+ve%collaborator%in%the%dance.%She%li]s%and%carries% the% carpet,% lies% over% and% rolls% with% the% carpet,% contorts% and% maneuvers% herself% into% various% poses% with% the% carpet—all% while% holding% each% posi+on% with% controlled% precision%to%incite%sculptural%images%evoking%female%strength%and%devo+on.%In%the%duet% SHOW%(2011),%the%physical%distance%between%viewer%and%performer%is%removed,%with% the%audience,%who%are%not%seated,%joining%the%dancers%on%stage,%in+mately%surrounding% them.% From% this% close% vantage,% the% demanding% and% mime+c% movements% of% Hassabi% and% Harakas,% who% have% a% resemblance% to% each% other,% elicit% an% unraveling% on% subjec+vity%and%the%inherent%pressure%felt%in%the%performance%of%our%daily%lives.%% Maria%Hassabi’s%recent%works%demand%that%our%aYen+on%is%fixed%on%the%implica+ons%of% every%shape,%shi]%in%posi+on,%and%nego+a+on%of%space.%It%is%the%dis+nct%slowness%and% gradual% progression% of% her% choreography% that% allows% you% to% capture% form,% and% more% specifically,%body%as%image.%Though,%it%is%not%fair%to%say%that%Hassabi%asks%the%viewer%to% do%anything.%Her%work%does%not%impose.%Instead,%the%slowness%makes%it%possible%to%see% the% images% that% are% unraveling% through% witness% of% small% and% large% ac+ons.% Perhaps% that%is%why%the%rela+on%between%dura+on%and%movement%in%Maria%Hassabi’s%work%is%so% cri+cal.%It%enables%a%wai+ng%in%which%we%consider%the%poten+al%of%the%figura+ve%role%of% the%body%in%choreographic%imageGmaking.%% Kelly%Kivland%is%the%assistant%curator%at%Dia%Art%FoundaHon.%%

PREMIERE((2013):%Presenta+on%at%MAMbo%through%XING%fes+val,%Bologna,%Italy

PREMIERE((2013):%Presenta+on%at%The%Kitchen,%New%York%as%part%of%Performa%13

INTERMISSION%(2013)

Intermission((2013)(–(Live/installaMon( “Think%of%a%volcano%that%moves%slow,%takes%its%+me%and%aYempts%to%be%s+ll.% Trembles%and%tension%become%the%mo+on.%Separated%at%adolescence,%sculpture% and%dance%move%towards%a%shared%des+na+on%where%they%are%inseparable% like%Gilbert%and%George.%17%steps%on%the%south%wing,%18%steps%on%the%north%one% are%made%out%of%pauses,%interrup+ons,%loops%and%delays.%To%commemorate%it% several%living%sculptures%from%one%or%two%countries%may%arrive.”  Raimundas'Malašauskas,'Curator,'“oO”,'Cyprus'and'Lithuanian'Pavilion'   Performers,%Hristoula%Harakas,%Maria%Hassabi%and%Paige%Mar+n% AddiMonal(performers%for%the%presenta+on%at%the%Venice%Biennale%include%volunteers% and%ar+sts%Iris%Touliadou,%Ben%Evans,%KroOt%Juurak,%and%Alisa%Snaider% %% Shows( 2014%G%Australian%Center%for%Contemporary%Art,%Melbourne,% Australia%(October%10GNovember%23)% 2013%G%“oO”,%Cyprus%and%Lithuanian%Pavilion,% 55th%Interna+onal%Art%Exhibi+on —%Venice%Biennale%May%28GJune%4)% %% Press( “Hassabi%G%best%known%for%her%glacially%slow%choreography%G%was%moving%diagonally%down% the%bleachers%with%two%other%dancers,%their%movements%barely%percep+ble.%Hardly%anyone% was%watching,%but%this%made%the%performers'%slowGmo+on%intensity%all%the%more%striking% and%otherworldly;%they%moved%at%a%pace%completely%remote%from%the%Biennale's%frene+c% norm.%This%was%easily%the%most%striking%and%beau+ful%new%work%I%saw%in%Venice.”%% '''''''Claire'Bishop,'ARTFORUM,'September'2013''''''''''' Credits( Republic%of%Cyprus,%Ministry%of%Educa+on%and%Culture

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COUNTER/RELIEF%(201162013)

Counter/relief((2011/13)(Performance(InstallaMon(–(DuraMon(60(min “CounterGrelief%(CCS%Bard)%2011%seeks%to%reveal%that%choreographic%ac+on%and%its%inten+ons% are%always%provisional,%always%created%(whether%before%or%a]er%the%fact)%by%the%ar+s+c% process%that%represents%it.”% Kelly'Kivland,'Curator' Visual%ar+st%Jimmy%Robert%and%choreographer%Maria%Hassabi%received%a%collabora+ve% commission%from%Bard%College%originally%in%2011,%curated%by%Kelly%Kivland,%to%create%% the%third%itera+on%of%CounterGrelief%(CCS%Bard)%2011,%a%performance%and%installa+on% inver+ng%choreographic%thinking%to%dissolve%the%dis+nc+on%between%the%process%% and%produc+on%of%imageGmaking.%Jimmy%Robert’s%previous%CounterGrelief%itera+ons% were%presented%at%the%5th%Berlin%Biennial%for%Contemporary%Art%in%May%2008,%and%at%the% Kunsthalle%Bern%in%March%2009.% In%2013%they%were%invited%to%make%an%extended%version%of%their%collabora+ve%work%% for%the%PERFORATIK%fes+val%produced%by%Kaaitheater%Brussels.%% Created(and(Performed%by%Maria%Hassabi%and%Jimmy%Robert%   Shows% 2013%G%Performa+k%Fes+val,%Kaaitheater,%Brussels%(February%22,23,24)% 2012%G%Museum%of%Contemporary%Art,%Chicago%(August%24)% 2011%G%Opening:%CCS%Bard%Galleries,%Bard%College,%AnnandaleGonGHudson,%New%York%(May%1)  %% Credits( CounterGrelief%was%developed%through%residencies%at%Kaaitheater%in%February%2013%and%in% March%2011.%The%project%was%made%possible%with%support%from%Rebecca%and%Mar+n%Eisenberg% Student%Exhibi+on%Fund:%the%Mitzi%and%Warren%Eisenberg%Family%Founda+on;%% the%Audry%and%Sydney%Irmas%Charitable%Founda+on;%the%Board%of%Governors%of%the%Centre% for%Curatorial%Studies,%and%by%the%Center’s%Patrons,%Supporters,%and%Friends.% Addi+onal%support%was%provided%by%the%Monique%Beudert%Award%Fund.

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CHANDELIERS%(2012)

CHANDELIERS((2012)(–(InstallaMon( CHANDELIERS,%was%part%of%the%exhibi+on%COMING%SOON,%curated%by%Anthony%Huberman%% and%featuring%ar+sts%Lutz%Bacher,%Tony%Conrad%and%Maria%Hassabi.%

“This%is%a%pa+ent%exhibi+on.%It%chooses%its%words%carefully,%but%then%speaks%them%without% hesita+on.%Its%movements%are%slow%but%not%+red,%like%someone%who%has%laid%out%in%the%sun% for%too%long.%It’s%blank%but%not%mute,%quiet%but%not%frozen,%absent%but%not%ambivalent.% It’s%not%in%any%rush%–%it%enjoys%the%luxury%of%taking%its%+me.%COMING%SOON%is%an% unperformance.%It’s%made%up%of%pauses,%interrup+ons,%loops%and%delays.%It’s%a%movie% without%a%movie%and%a%dance%without%a%dance.%Nothing%happens%on%+me.% Maria%Hassabi%is%a%choreographer%who%pushes%the%limits%of%performance%o]en%aligning%% the%theater%with%the%aesthe+cs%of%sculpture.%First%performed%in%2006,%her%sextet,%STILL% SMOKING%featured%nineteen%chandeliers%gradually%descending%from%ceiling%to%ﬂoor.%% First%evoking%a%baroque%ballroom,%the%chandeliers%slowly%became%bodies%to%dance% %with%and%ul+mately%turned%into%physical%obstacles%to%nego+ate.%A%reGimagina+on%% of%this%piece,%Hassabi’s%new%installa+on%CHANDELIERS%replaced%the%dancers%with%everyday% exhibi+on%visitors%and%slowed%down%the%chandeliers%accordingly,%so%that%they%began% %each%morning%on%the%ceiling%and%reached%the%ﬂoor%by%the%end%of%each%day%–%moving%at%the% speed%of%sunlight.%For%those%who%know%how%to%wait,%it%is%a%true%spectacle.”% Anthony'Huberman,'Curator' Shows( 2012%G%Centre%d’Art%Contemporain%Genève,%Switzerland%(May%31GAugust%12)  %% Credits( Produced%by%Centre%d’Art%Contemporain%Geneva.

THE(LADIES%(2012)

The(Ladies((2012)(Short%ﬁlm%–%Dura+on%10%min

The(Ladies((2012)(Film(–(DuraMon(10(min( Six%female%performers,%split%into%pairs,%dressed%in%black%clothing,%black%shades%and% bright%lips+ck,%appeared%on%random%days,%+mes%and%loca+ons%throughout%ManhaYan% over%a%period%of%two%months.%To%keep%the%appearances%unpredictable,%speciﬁc% neighborhoods%were%chosen%for%each%unannounced%performance.%Exis+ng%outside% of%any%art%frame,%The%Ladies%moved%in%a%par+cularly%slow%manner,%o]en%remaining% in%extended%s+llness.%Slowing%down%+me,%they%disrupted%the%pace%of%ac+vity%in%the% public%streets%and%spaces,%provoking%passersby%to%react%by%default.%% Directed(by%Maria%Hassabi%with%assistant%director%Jessie%Gold%% Performers%Biba%Bell,%Rebecca%Brooks,%Jessie%Gold,%Elizabeth%Hart,%Sarah%Beth%Percival%% Director(of(Photography(Francis%Coy% %% Shows( 2014%G%CentrePasquArt%as%part%of%Le%Mouvement:%The%City%Performed,%Biel,% Switzerland%(August%30GNovember%2)% 2012%G%Cipriani%Wall%Street,%LMCC%at%The%Downtown%Dinner%2012,%New%York%(April%23)% 2011%%G%Public%Performances,%New%York%(September%17GNovember%5,%2011)% %% Credits( The%Ladies%ﬁrst%appeared%and%were%commissioned%as%part%of%“Fic+onGNonFic+on”% at%Crossing%The%Line,%the%fall%fes+val%of%the%French%Ins+tute:Alliance%Francaise%(FIAF).% The%project%was%also%made%possible%with%funding%from%the%Brown%Founda+on,%Inc.% of%Houston%and%the%Guggenheim%Fellowship.

PERFORMANCE(RESEARCH:(A(Journal(of(the(Performing(Arts(( Published(online:(13(Aug(2014 Slow(Work(% Dance’s%temporal%effort%in%the%visual%sphere%% by'BIBA'BELL'on'The'Ladies' In%the%autumn%of%2011%I%began%working%with%New%YorkGbased%choreographer%Maria%Hassabi%on% The' Ladies,% a% series% of% ‘appearances’% that% involved% pairs% of% dancers% taking% to% the% streets% of% ManhaYan%to%perform%twoGhour%long%intervals%of%varied%choreographic%scores%that%included% walking,% pausing,% posing,% looking% and% being% looked% at.% The% sixGweek% span% of% public% performances% took% place% unannounced% a]er% a% limited% rehearsal% period% in% Hassabi’s% home% studio.% An% educa+on% of% s+llness% and% slowness,% we% were% briefed% in% the% rigorous% labour% of% composure,%using%movement%to%not%only%locate%ourselves%in%space%but%in%+me,%producing%an% extended%temporal%plane%upon%which%our%dancing%would%occur.%The%project%truly%was,%in%the% words%of%postGstudio%ar+st%Carl%Andre,%a%movement%out%onto%the%streets%(cited%in%Rose%2013),% where% its% temporal% consistency% dynamically% inserted% it% against% the% grain% of% urban% hustle.% A% range% of% reac+ons% from% passersG% by% ensued:% disinterest% and% inaYen+veness,% curiosity% and% enjoyment,%interjec+on%and%suspicion%(especially%during%two%excursions%entering%the%galleries% of% The% Museum% of% Modern% Art% (MoMA)% in% New% York% that% threatened% with% the% risk% of% expulsion),%mockery%and%ridicule%and%even%one%case%of%assault.%% Ci+ng%the%figure%of%pain+ng,%sculpture,%cinema%and%fashion,%Hassabi’s%work%morphs%the%pose,% aYenuated% to% its% historiographic% spectacle.% Engaging% dura+on,% proximity% and% distance,% the% technical% elements% of% ligh+ng% (its% objects,% illumina+on% and% heat),% costume% and% the% architectural% context% of% the% theatre% or% gallery,% her% work% asserts% the% ac+on% of% posing% as% a% demanding,% choreographic% pursuit.% Referencing% famous% and% affec+ve% poses,% she% has% spent% years% gra]ing% them% on% to% her% own% and% dancer% Hristoula% Harakas’s% bodies,% developing% an% intensive%performance%quality%at%a%signature%‘glacially%slow’%pace%that%eclipses%its%confounding% effort% (Bishop% 2013:% 319).% Bodily% endurance,% without% becoming% ‘endurance% art’,% ini+ates% a% strategy%that%makes%visible%the%‘effort%of%forma+on’,%intervening%against%the%composure%of%its% image% (Lyall% 2013).% The% work% can% be% approached% with% curiosity% or% restlessness,% intrigue% or% anxiety,%and%it%is%up%to%the%audience%to%decide.%The%ques+on%of%why%(pose)%collapses%into%how,% an+cipa+ng% a% formal% pursuit% that% is,% as% Paul% Virilio% suggests,% ‘a% technical% pursuit% of% +me’%(2009:%24).%% The'Ladies'was%my%entre%into%Hassabi’s%process%as%a%performer%and%par+cipant.%Through%my% own% labour% within% its% technical% demands,% I% was% able% to% garner% a% sense% of% the% corporeal% capacity%of%dance%to%intervene%within%temporal%regimes,%accumulate%and%inflect%their%flow,  and%produce%its%own%sense%of%+me.%The%overG%arching%task%of%her%choreographic%structures  for%this%project%could%be%as%simple%as%traveling%%two%avenue%blocks%when,%a]er%one%and%a%half% hours,% I% would% realize% that% only% oneGquarter% of% the% distance% had% been% covered.% Each% step,% gesture% or% glance% was% isolated,% metabolized% and% extended.% A% quickening% of% bodily% systems% emerged%–%circulatory,%respiratory,%muscular,%the%hum%of%the%nervous%system%–%recalling%John% Cage’s% observa+ons% regarding% silence% within% the% sensory% depriva+on% chamber,% or% Steve% Paxton’s%aYen+on%to%s+llness%complicated%by%a%bodily%persistence%to%shi]%and%waver%in%The' Small'Dance,'The'Stand.%The%energy%required%to%maintain%intensive%decelera+on%in%the%midst% of%New%York%City’s%busy,%populated%streets%exaggerated%interior%calibra+ons%of%creaking%joints,% aching%legs,%trembling%muscles,%adjustments%in%weight%and%breath%and%pulse,%and%the%waxing% and%waning%of%focus.

My% body’s% capacity% to% filter% surrounding% s+muli% –% roaring% vehicles,% random% pedestrians,% even% the% procession% of% an% Occupy% Wall% Street% (OWS)% march% –% afforded% incremental% complexity%to%the%spare,%yet%exhaus+ng,%choreography.%I%exert%effort%in%order%to%locate%my% body% in% the% momentary% lapse% of% each% pose.% Intervals% are% produced.% Hassabi’s% piece% offered%a%prolonged%medita+on%on%what%we%as%dancers%do%while%amplifying%the%urgency%of% my%own%ques+ons%within%current%discussions%pertaining%to%the%popularity%of%dance%within% visual%art%spheres:%what%is%the%work%of%dance%(as%it%expands%or%moves%out%or%alongside%its% proper%ins+tu+onal%contexts)?%Does%performance%prac+ce%expand%or%contract%temporality% as% a% primary% interven+on% within% objectGbased% economies% and% ins+tu+onal% structures?% How% may% dance% perform% this% labour?% Decelera+on,% set% in% rela+on% to% performance’s% economy% of% ephemerality,% draws% aYen+on% to% contemporary% dance’s% rela+onship% to% labour,% produc+on% and% (im)materiality.% It% affords% ques+ons% about% how% economies% are% ar+culated% on% and% against% what% I% would% argue% are% dance’s% primary,% domes+c% temporali+es,% which% are% most% notably% expressed% through% its% flee+ng% acts% of% disappearance%and%resistance%to%the%archive.%As%dance%navigates%modernism’s%disciplinary% and% spa+al% distribu+ons% (between% studio% and% street,% labour% and% leisure,% visual% and% performing% arts)% this% prac+ce% of% s+lling% slowness% invests% the% temporal% as% a% site% of% corporeal%labor%while%also%implemen+ng%+me%as%a%mode%of%both%cri+que%and%traversal.%% The%rhythms%of%dance’s%labour%can%be%illuminated%by%JeanGFrançois%Lyotard’s%discussion%of% the% domus' and% domes+ca+on% of% +me.% In% a% 1987% conference% paper,% Lyotard% delivered% a% cri+que%of%Mar+n%Heidegger’s%‘philosophy%of%the%soil’%(1997:%270),%focusing%on%the%poli+cs% of% forgepng% and% exposing% ‘the% poten+al% violence% that% underwrites% the% domes+cated% household’%(1997:270).1%Titled%‘Domus'and%the%megalopolis’,%Lyotard%discusses%the%domus' as%a%site%of%domes+ca+on%(see%Lyotard%1988).2%It%controls%space%and%+me%through%custom,% rhythms% of% birth% and% death% and% communi+es% of% work% and% is% maintained% as% a% ‘mode% of% space,%+me%and%body%under%the%regime%(of%)%nature’%(Lyotard%1988:%191–2).%% The'common'work'is'the'domus'itself,'in'other'words'the'community.'It'is'the'work'of'a' repeated' domes5ca5on.' Custom' domes5cates' 5me,' including' the' 5me' of' incidents' and' accidents,' and' also' space,' even' the' border' regions.' Memory' is' inscribed' not' only' in' narra5ves,'but'in'gestures,'in'the'body’s'mannerisms.'And'the'narra5ves'are'like'gestures,' related'to'gestures,'places,'proper'names.'(Lyotard'1988:'193)'' Represen+ng% ‘[c]ommon% +me,% common% sense,% common% place’,% the% domus' houses% the% body’s%gestures,%habits%and%customs%as%a%keystone%of%its%founda+on%(191).%‘Common%work’% exposes%ways%in%which%temporal%quali+es%of%speed,%dura+on%and%rhythm%contribute%to%the% affec+ve%architecture%of%the%domes+c%that%binds%body%and%site%and%maintains%it%as%a%space% of%(re)%produc+on.%As%the%sanc+on%and%nurturer%of%bodies,%it%demarcates%the%rhythms%of% these%bodies%as%they%rise%and%fall,%wake%and%sleep%and%move%through%the%world.%This%is%a% bucolic%site,%where%the%func+on%of%labour%and%its%temporality%is%naturalized,%intersected%by% the%fact%that%such%domes+city%is%also%a%sign%of%inherent%violence.%The%domus'territorializes% through% forces% of% domes+ca+on,% figuring% the% selfGperpetuated,% embodied% force% of% its% social%choreographies%(HewiY%2005)…%

The(Ladies%(2012):%Film%s+ll

SHOW%(2011)

SHOW((2011)(–(DuraMon(70(min( SHOW%casts%a%focus%on%the%elements%of%live%performance%in%a%bid%to%make%them%plas+c%% and%palpable.%At%the%core%of%its%explora+on%is%a%paradoxical%condi+on%that%must%be%nego+ated% and%resolved%by%any%live%work:%the%aYempt%to%be%present%in%a%moment%of%expression,%% while%exis+ng%in%an%awareness%caught%by%a%set%of%defini+ve%frames.%The%rela+onship%between% the%audience%and%the%performers,%their%mutually%assigned%spaces,%movement%and%roles,% %are%implicated%in%the%work%as%they%share%the%changing%sequence%of%what%unfolds.%It%is%within% the%+me%and%space%of%this%par+cular%shared%experience–its%shi]ing%bodies%and%facial%gestures,% its%subtle%fluxes%and%halted%poses–that%a%truly%plas+c%theater%of%contemporary%live% performance%emerges.%   Performers%Hristoula%Harakas,%Maria%Hassabi  Sound(Design%Alex%Waterman  LighMng(and(Set(Design%Maria%Hassabi,%Joe%Levasseur%  Styling%threeASFOUR  Dramaturgy%ScoY%Lyall,%Marcos%Rosales  ProducMon%Consultant(and(Administrator%Meghan%Finn% %% Shows( 2014%G%Kunsthall%Oslo,%as%part%of%“So]%City”,%Oslo,%Norway%(September%6)  %%%%%%%%%%G%Le%Mouvement:%Performing%the%City,%Biel,%Switzerland%(Aug%26,27,28,29,30,31)% 2013%G%Volcano%Extravaganza%2013:%Evil%Under%The%Sun,%Stromboli,%Italy%(Aug%22)  %%%%%%%%%%G%American%Realness,%New%York%(Jan%10G13)% 2012%G%VIENNAFAIR%The%New%Contemporary%2012,%Vienna,%Austria%(Sep%19G22)  %%%%%%%%%%G%River%to%River%Fes+val,%NYC%(June%28GJuly%1)  %%%%%%%%%%G%MIDDELHEIM%MUSEUM,%Antwerp,%Belgium%(May%27)% 2011%G%Premiere:%The%Kitchen,%NYC%(November%3G5)% Press( “SHOW%develops%as%an%in%inquiry%between%audience%and%performer,%performance%space%% and%emo+onal%space.%The%audience%members,%who%have%become%unwipng%par+cipants%% in%the%event,%can%barely%take%their%eyes%off%the%dancers%—%except%when%looking%at%each%other.%% SHOW%is%a%brilliant,%o]en%ero+cally%charged%eveningGlength%piece%performed%by%two%dynamic,% brave%dancers%unafraid%to%take%risks,%involving%the%audience%in%unique%and,%at%+mes,% demanding%ways.”%% Mark'Rilin,'THIS'WEEK'IN'NEW'YORK,'November'5,'2011' %% Credits( SHOW%received%funding%from%The%Brown%Founda+on,%Inc.%of%Houston;%the%Jerome%Founda+on;% The%MAP%Fund,%a%program%of%Crea+ve%Capital;%and%from%the%ManhaYan%Community%Arts%Fund,% supported%by%the%New%York%City%Department%of%Cultural%Affairs%and%administered%by%Lower% ManhaYan%Cultural%Council.%SHOW%was%developed%in%part%through%a%residency%at%Impulstanz% Vienna,%Austria%and%at%Mount%Tremper%Arts,%NY. Vimeo:%hYps://vimeo.com/55295339% Password:%MAPSHOW% 5%min%excerpt

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Text%on%SHOW Jenn%Joy%on%SHOW% Excerpt(from(DANSE:(AN(ANTHOLOGY( Edited'by'Noémie'Solomon

Wai+ng.%S+ll%wai+ng.%Time%ampliﬁed%by%the%intense%heat%from%the%pile%of%stage%lights.%Wai+ng.%

SHOW% might% appear% very% quiet;% at% moments% Maria% and% Hristoula% almost% disappear% into% the%

S+ll% wai+ng.% A% subtle% entrance% as% Maria% and% Hristoula% walk% into% the% space% among% the%

audience% or% into% the% dimming% lights.% And% yet,% the% trembling% swea+ng% sensi+vity% of% each%

audience%dressed%in%gray%with%long%black%hair.%A%duet%doubled,%at%least:%Maria%with%Hristoula,%

moment%ar+culates%the%subtle%violence%of%togetherness%and%this%is%the%paradox%of%SHOW—as%

Maria%with%me,%Hristoula%with%someone%else%and%now%you%and%I%wri+ng%to%remember.%

impera+ve%and%as%+tle.%There%is%no%illusion%of%theatricality.%I%feel%the%heat%of%the%lights%and%the% relief%as%they%dim.%I%move%with%her%in%this%“space%of%consciousness,”%of%desire,%of%aYen+on.%It%is%

Over% coﬀee% last% month% we% spoke% of% another% philosophic% seduc+on.% For% Alain% Badiou% dance%

in+mately%precarious%mode%of%address%that%touches%choreography%as%desire.%%

acts% as% a% “thoughtGbody”% as% a% “metaphor% for% thought”.% Yet% I% want% to% hold% onto% the% deeply% material,%physical,%desiring%bodies%of%the%dancers%and%audience%and%not%allow%our%seduc+on%to%

Desire—the% distance% between% what% we% imagine% and% where% we% stand% now.% Anne% Carson%

the% end% only% in% a% metaphor.% SHOW% renders% such% a% gorgeous% in+macy% drawn% out% through% a%

reminds%me%that%“desire%is%poised%on%an%axis%of%paradox,%absence%and%presence%its%poles,%love%

subtle%posi+oning%and%reposi+oning%in%the%space%marked%by%tremulous%intensity%of%extreme%

and%hate%its%mo+ve%energies.”%Once%captured%desire%disappears.%Poof!%“who%ever%desires%what%

presence% and% virtuosic% groundedness.% What% is% more% seduc+ve% than% to% witness% these%

is%gone?%No%one.”%Does%desire%only%inspire%a%cruel%kind%of%op+mism%as%Lauren%Berlant%write?%

machina+ons%of%aYrac+on,%energe+c%or%ero+c,%even%as%performed?%%

Or%is%this%concatena+on%of%temporality%a%roman+c%if%nihilis+c%anachronism%as%Masha%Tupitsyn% concedes:% “Everyone% is% out% of% joint,% not% just% you% or% +me.% Everyone% breaks% your% heart.% Falls%

Maria% speaks% of% dance% as% a% mode% of% language% and% of% communica+on% that% exists% only% when% the%audience%is%present.%She%is%not%concerned%with%dura+on,%but%rather%details%or%intensi+es%of% heat,% light,% proximity.% The% choreography% evolves% from% the% delicate% ar+cula+on% of% distance% between%Maria%and%Hristoula,%and%between%the%individuals%composing%the%audience.%%

short% of% what% could% be.% Again% and% again.”% Perhaps.% And% yet,% I% think% these% arrested% phantasmata% might% conspire% diﬀerently,% inci+ng% an% alterna+ve% temporal% frame% and% dancing% desire’s%distan+a+on.%% Always%Maria%is%dancing,%with%Hristoula,%with%Robert,%or%alone;%“breathing%and%trembling%are% my% movements,”% she% reminds% me.% Her% work% explicitly% stages% a% precarious% mode% of% address,%

When%she%stretches%her%arm%behind%me,%she%establishes%a%trajectory%through%space.%Yet,%she%

one% that% acknowledges% my% complicity% as% witness% and% asks% me% to% par+cipate% (and% not% only%

rarely%reveal%these%paYerns,%instead%secretly%shi]s%from%one%encounter%to%the%next.% %And%she%

during%the%performance%but%in%thinking%about%it%as%well).%Wri+ng%of%this%precarious%rela+on,%

waits,%as%we%waited%in%the%beginning,%for%me%to%acknowledge%our%rela+on%before%she%moves%

Judith% Butler% points% to% the% constructed% quality% of% such% tremulousness% aYen+on.% We% do% not%

toward%the%next.%%

decide% to% be% addressws,% but% are% called,% invited,% dare% I% call% them% shadows,% impera+ves,% or% ghosts%are%never%so%visible.%Yet%I%sense%in%her%work%an%impulse%towards%their%revela+on.

ROBERT(&(MARIA%(2010)

Robert(and(Maria((2010)(–(DuraMon(60(min( “You'dance'inside'my'chest'where'no'one'sees'you,'but'some5mes'I'do,'and'this'sight'makes' our'dance.”' Maria%Hassabi%has%been%performing%shows%since%childhood%and%Robert%Steijn%began%dancing% rituals%at%fortyGfive.%In%this%first%duet%they%make%together,%they%ask%themselves%where%outside% differences%meet%inside%similari+es%as%they%commit%themselves%to%an%act%of%uncondi+onal% devo+on.%   Created(and(Performed%by%Maria%Hassabi%and%Robert%Steijn  LighMng(Design%JiGyoun%Chang%and%Maria%Hassabi% %% Shows( 2013%G%NoYdance%Fes+val%2013,%Nopngham,%UK%(March%15)% 2012%G%Fes+val%Contemporâneo%de%Dança,%São%Paulo,%Brazil%(November%16G18)  %%%%%%%%%%G%Panorama%Fes+val,%Rio%de%Janeiro,%Brazil%(November%13G14)  %%%%%%%%%%G%Frasca+,%Amsterdam,%The%Netherlands%(May%1G2)  %%%%%%%%%%G%Springdance,%Utrecht,%The%Netherlands%(April%21G22)  %%%%%%%%%%G%DANSPACE%PROJECT,%NYC%(January%9G10)% 2011%G%Tanz%im%August,%Berlin,%Germany%(August%17G18)  %%%%%%%%%%G%ImPulsTanz,%Vienna,%Austria%(August%11)  %%%%%%%%%%G%NEW%YORK,%deSingel%Interna+onale%Kunstcampus,%Antwerpen,% %%%%%%%%%%%%Belgium%(January%%28G29)% 2010%G%Premiere:%DANSPACE%PROJECT,%NYC:%Plazorm%2010:%‘i%get%lost’% %%%%%%%%%%%%Curated%by%Ralph%Lemon%(April%15G1)% %% Press( “Robert%and%Maria%really%is%full%of%love.%Like%all%good%art%–%like%all%real%lovemaking%–%it%absorbs% you%in%the%experience%without%making%you%feel%like%a%creep”.%(5%stars)% Apollinaire'Scherr,'FINANCIAL'TIMES,'April'20'2010' Credits( PLATFORMS%2010%is%a%component%of%Danspace%Project’s%Choreographic%Center%Without%Walls% (CW2),%a%mul+Gyear%commissioning%and%presenta+on%research%and%development%project% which%has%received%major%support%from%The%Andrew%W.%Mellon%Founda+on%and%the%Na+onal% Endowment%for%the%Arts.%As%part%of%Plazorms%2010,%Robert%and%Maria%is%made%possible%with% funds%from%the%2009G2010%Danspace%Project%Commissioning%Ini+a+ve%with%support%from%The% Andrew%W.%Mellon%Founda+on.%In%addi+on,%Robert%and%Maria%has%received%support%from%the% Consulate%General%of%the%Netherlands%in%New%York.%The%work%was%also%made%possible%through% a%research%residency%at%DANSLAB,%Den%Haag%at%The%Netherlands%and%crea+ve%residencies% at%PaGf,%St%Erme,%in%France.%

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Vimeo:%hYp://vimeo.com/41770616% Password:%RobertandMaria% En+re%length%% 38

Text%on%Robert%and%Maria%% Toward(a(deﬁniMon(of(spasm( by'Jenn'Joy

Robert%and%Maria%(2010)%begins%as%the%two%performers%walk%onto%the%stage%and%look% into%each%other’s%eyes.%At%ﬁrst%they%stand%near%the%edge,%close%to%the%audience,% they%embrace%then%release%and%walk%farther%onto%the%sanctuary%ﬂoor.%A%pile%of%black% stage%lights%frames%them%from%behind%as%they%stand%facing%each%other—s+ll%looking% into%the%eyes%of%the%other.%This%will%be%the%refrain%and%structure%of%the%work:%to%gaze% into%each%other’s%eyes%for%an%hour%with%subtle%shi]s%of%movement%along%the%way.% Incredibly%simply,%gorgeous,%moving,%devasta+ng...%the%dura+on%of%their%gaze%calls% aYen+on%to%what%Ralph%Lemon%describes%as%the%“currency%of%you%looking%[and]% the%currency%of%our%looking%[...and]%an%aesthe+cs%of%looking%and%an%aesthe+cs%of%love”% (2012).%Yet%this%gazing%is%not%only%about%establishing%or%reifying%the%cult%of%the%visible,% but%more%nearly%about%rendering%the%visual,%in%the%sensuous%moments%of%its%in+mate% undoing.%%

As%Hassabi%stands%in%front%of%Steijn,%looking%up%and%into%his%eyes,%tears%ﬂow%down%her% cheeks.%Not%once,%but%a%series%of%+mes%throughout%the%performance,%so%I%am%never% certain%if%she%is%crying%from%emo+on%or%physical%fa+gue%or%memory%or%all%or%any% combina+on%of%all%these.%In%these%moments%of%“being%there”%on%stage%together% and%as%an%audience%witness%to%this%encounter,%Hassabi%and%Steijn%take%the%precision% of%s+lled%image%and%transpose%it%into%a%intense%experience%of%asking%about%our% present%state%of%mind,%of%body,%of%desire%(2012).%%As%Hassabi%suggests,%“it%is%too%easy% to%get%trapped%in%your%own%representa+on”%and%this%work%embodies%a%con+nuing% shi]%away%from%these%impera+ves%through%the%exquisitely%subtle%spasm%of%the%tear% ducts’%release%(2012).”

Robert(and(Maria:%Presenta+on%at%Danspace%Project,%New%York%

SOLOSHOW%(2009)

SoloShow((2009)(–(DuraMon(58(min( SoloShow,%the%second%work%of%a%diptych.%(See%SOLO%for%more%details%on%the%diptych)% SoloShow,%extends%Hassabi’s%interest%in%the%representa+ons%of%the%female%body%embedded%% within%art%history,%pop%culture,%and%the%performance%of%daily%life.%Staging%the%movement%% between%sensa+on%and%its%display,%the%performer%moves%beyond%rhythm,%ideal%postures,%and% coherenceas%hundreds%of%images%are%seamlessly,%physically%collaged.%Playing%to%the%audience%% on%a%publicGaddress%plazorm%the%work%is%concerned%with%what%the%mind%already%knows% by%way%of%images%that%are%disrupted%by%physicality,%a%striving%for%limits,%and%extended%dura+ons.% Directed(and(performed(by%Maria%Hassabi  Sound(Design(James%Lo  LighMng(Design%Joe%Levasseur,%Maria%Hassabi  Dramaturgy%ScoY%Lyall,%Marcos%Rosales  Set(Design%ScoY%Lyall,%Maria%Hassabi  ProducMon(Manager%Meghan%Finn% %% Shows( 2012%G%City%of%Women%Fes+val,%Ljubljana,%Slovenia%(Oct%8)% 2011%G%BOUGE%B%Fes+val,%deSingel%Interna+onale%Kunstcampus,%Antwerpen,%Belgium%(April%28)% 2010%G%TBA%Fes+val%2010,%Portland%Ins+tute%for%Contemporary%Art,%Oregon%(September%11G14)  %%%%%%%%%%G%WoWmen!%Fes+val,%Kaaistudios,%Brussels,%Belgium%(March%19G20)  %%%%%%%%%%G%COIL%Fes+val,%PS122,%NY%(January%11G12)% 2009%G%Premiere:%Performance%Space%122,%NY%/%CoGpresented%with%Performa%09%(Nov%12%–%15)% (( Press( “The%discipline,%constraint%and%austerity%and%the%ul+mate%resul+ng%poetry%of%the%work%was% staggeringGwith%an%uYer%minimum%of%movement%and%ﬁercely%conceptual%drive,%Hassabi%managed%% to%transcend%dance%and%approach%an%artGmaking%that%was%far%more%steeped%in%dura+onal% performance/installa+on.%Hassabi’s%pure%dance%sensibility%embodied%the%rigorous%conceptual% fervor%of%the%best%installa+ons:%it%was%an%immersive%experience%of%lightG%soundGsilenceG+me,% it%was%vividly%transforma+ve,%it%dematerialized%“dance”%and%the%body%and%it%demanded%that%% you%exist%in%the%room%with%it.%At%its%most%intense%and%gra+fying,%SoloShow%could%easily%have%been% an%answer%to%Bruce%Nauman’s%1974%Body%Pressure”.% '''''''''''''''Tim'DuRoche,'Curator'and'Writer,'September'15th,'2010' Credits( SOLO%and%SoloShow%are%coGproduced%and%presented%by%Performance%Space%122;%the%French%Ins+tute% Alliance%Francaise%(FIAF)%as%part%of%their%Crossing%the%Line%Fes+val;%the%2009%Visual%Art%Performance% Biennial%Performa%09;%and%the%Portland%Ins+tute%for%Contemporary%Art%as%part%of%their%TBA%Fes+val.%% SOLO%and%SoloShow%have%received%funding%from%the%Na+onal%Performance%Network%Crea+on%Fund;% the%ManhaYan%Community%Arts%Fund%supported%by%the%NYC%Department%of%Cultural%Aﬀairs,% administered%by%the%LMCC%and%The%Brown%Founda+on,%Inc.%of%Houston.%% The%works%were%created,%in%part,%while%in%inGResidence%at%Herberger%College%of%the%Arts,%Arizona% State%University,%Tempe,%AZ,%as%well%as%a%crea+ve%residency%at%Performing%Arts%Forum% in%St.%Erme,%France.

Vimeo:%hYp://vimeo.com/17687682% 5%min%excerpt

Vimeo:%hYp://vimeo.com/39603722% Password:%SoloShow% En+re%length% 42

Text%on%SoloShow%% Maria(Hassabi(/(SoloShow(( by'ScoQ'Lyall

The%ﬁrst%thing%you%no+ced%about%Maria%Hassabi’s%SoloShow'was%a%detail%in%the%program%that%

You%recognized%bundled%references%from%seven+es%Vogue%to%Ingre’s%odalisque;%there%were%

appeared%paradoxical.%The%Solo'–a%lone%performance—%would%be%embodied%by%two%dancers,%

athletes%and%a%vagabond,%and%bits%of%Diaghilev’s%Russian%ballet.%Some+mes%the%transi+ons%%

rendered%diﬀerently%by%Hassabi%and%Hristoula%Harakas%from%night%to%night.%By%introducing%

felt%lyrical%and%almost%sa+ny;%at%other%+mes%the%distor+ons%were%simply%brutal.%%

alterna+ves%to%her%project%for%Performa,'Hassabi%opened%a%space%of%refrac+on%and%broken%

(“Mendieta?%de%Kooning?%...”)%%

sightGlines%for%her%show.%The%Solo'counted%to%two;%the%diptychal%scene%dispersed%as%many.% The%axiom%was%that%any%audience,%however%aYen+ve,%was%neverGAll.%%

But%what,%given%this%ouzlow%to%the%audience,%remained%Solo?%How%did%Hassabi%navigate%% on%this%layered%and%noisy%ground?%It’s%been%a%long%+me%since%the%poet,%Stephane%Mallarmé%

The%scene%for%this%refrac+on%of%the%Solo'was%rigorous.%A%pair%of%blackedG%out%theatre%columns%

wrote%apprecia+vely%that%a%dancer%was%“not%a%woman,%(she%is%a%metaphor%and%an%ideal).%

traced%an%open%ver+cal%chasm.%A%monolith%lay%between%them,%ﬂoa+ng%cumbersome%%

”%In%Hassabi’s%Show,%the%dancer%retained%her%link%to%pliable%maYer.%She%didn’t%pass%into%

on%the%ﬂoor.%A%bank%of%canister%stage%lights%was%like%the%clamoring%paparazzi;%the%lifeGhiss%%

the%alethosphere'like%a%muse%or%a%studio%model.%But%she%also%never%retreated%from%the%

of%a%synthesizer%merged%with%peaks%of%recognized%sound.%If%the%plinth%made%you%think%%

contours%of%the%art%world.%She%held%herself,%deliberately,%in%its%cascade%of%par+al%signs.%%

in%terms%of%silent,%ﬁgural%sculpture,%then%the%rest%of%the%set%–and%the%ligh+ng—%meant%the%

Maybe%her%ul+mate%power%was%that%for%a%span%of%ﬁ]y%minutes,%over%ﬁve%nights%under%%

dancers%were%there%for%the%Show.%%

the%lights,%she%both%endured%and%measured%this%ﬂow.%If%so,%and%although%it%was%modeled%% by%painters,%sculptors,%and%layGout%designers,%the%dance%itself%was%a%metra6morphosis,%%

Each%performer%danced%alone,%taking%solitude%as%her%partner.%Each%aﬀected%a%list%of%%

a%shudder%of%mo+ves%that%breathed%in%+me.%%

postures%as%if%absorbed%in%an%absent%world.%And%yet,%thanks%to%the%jolts%of%in+macy%% that%always%occurred%from%Show'to'Show,%they%each%connected%the%work%to%the%audience%

What%I%admire%and%seek%to%understand%in%Maria%Hassabi’s%dances%is%a%mobility%that,%%

through%memory%traces%and%quickened%desire.%It%was%as%if%the%dancer’s%nervous%system%

always%radiant,%remains%fastened%to%itself.%This%mobility%is%not%imposed%by%cultural%forces%

could%communicate%with%you%directly.%Repe++ons%and%subtle%diﬀerences%were%the%inventory%%

from%outside.%It%is%a%moving%thing,%transcribing%itself%to%the%muscles%as%much%as%the%mind.%%

of%these%transGac+ons,%as%each%Solo'described%a%passage%within%the%matrix%of%a%whole.%%

This%was%the%case%at%Solo'Show,'its%stances%so%diﬀerent%from%fashion.%They%had%to%make%

What%does%it%feel%like%to%dance%as%a%ﬂickering%image?%How%are%images%borne,%or%how%%

their%way%as%embodiments,%partnered%with%solitude,%grasped%by%signs.%The%Solo'doubled%

are%they%processed%and%etched%on%our%bones?%By%encouraging%diﬃcult%ques+ons%–again,%%

to%two,%the%two%unfolded%as%several%more.%If%this%idea%expressed%inGtensions%of%bodily%power%

by%gra]ing%them%to%her%audience—%Hassabi%enacted%her%dancers’%movement%from%%

before%the%visible,%it%might%also%have%shown%why%Nietzsche%considered%dance%such%a%crucial%

virtuality%to%visible%sign.%This%enactment%took%the%form%of%an%always%shi]ing%sculptural%%

art.%His%idea%was%that%human%beings%were%somehow%capable%of%sensuous%thought.%%

process,%reGcollec+ng%feminine%postures%from%history,%movies,%art,%and%design. —%ScoJ%Lyall%2009

SoloShow%(2009):%Presenta+on%at%PS122,%New%York,%as%part%of%Performa%09

SOLO%(2009)

SOLO((2009)(–%DuraMon(53(min( SOLO%and%SoloShow%are%two%autonomous%eveningGlong%solos,%conceived%as%a%diptych%rela+ng%to%one% another%as%two%moments%of%shi]ing%perspec+ve,%(a%parallax).%Each%solo%inhabits%its%own%specific% temporal%and%spa+al%sepng%as%it%opens%itself%to%the%other%through%mutual%reflec+ons.%Together,%the% solos%play%between%opposing%orienta+ons%as%the%performer%moves%from%a%solitary%contempla+on%to% a%devo+on%to%‘showGculture’:%being%inside%and%outside,%fully%immersed%or%at%the%edges,%embodied% while%remaining%subject%to%the%language%of%images.%Solo%and%SoloShow%extend%Hassabi’s%explora+on% of%how%a%mul+tude%of%familiar%representa+ons%of%the%female%body%can%be%dissolved%into%the% physicality%of%contemporary%dance.% In%SOLO%(the%first%work%of%a%diptych),%Hassabi%performs%with%a%Persian%area%carpet,%arranging%her% movement%as%an%inves+ga+on%of%fluid%sculptural%process.%The%carpet%–originally%a%kind%of%grounding% frame%for%the%dance—becomes,%variously,%a%prop%object,%an%outer%skin,%and%an%architecture.%% These%shi]s%describe%the%nego+a+on%of%desire%in%a%dancing%figure%as%it%approaches%visibility%% within%the%space%of%a%given%frame%and%connects%with%the%material%of%a%defining%sculptural%ground.% This%desire%manifests%itself%as%a%changing%temporal%process,%as%complex%and%interwoven%as%the%many% paYerns%in%the%carpet.% Directed(and(Performed%by%Maria%Hassabi  Sound(Design%James%Lo  LighMng(Design(Joe%Levasseur,%Maria%Hassabi  Dramaturgy(ScoY%Lyall,%Marcos%Rosales  Set(Design%ScoY%Lyall,%Maria%Hassabi% ProducMon(Manager%Meghan%Finn% Shows( 2013%G%NoYdance%Fes+val%2013,%Nopngham,%UK%(March%10)  %%%%%%%%%%G%Lavanderia%a%Vapore,%Torino,%Italy%(March%7)% 2011%%G%Beit%Hair%Center%for%Urban%Culture,%Tel%Aviv,%as%part%of%threeASFOUR%exhibit%(November%27)  %%%%%%%%%%%G%Soumaya%Museo,%Mexico%City%(April%8)% 2010%%G%BOUGE%B%Fes+val,%deSingel%Interna+onale%Kunstcampus,%Antwerpen,%Belgium%(April%23)% 2009%%G%Premiere:%Performance%Space%122,%NY%/%CoGpresented%with%Crossing%the%Line%the%French%% %%%%%%%%%%%%%%Ins+tute%Alliance%Francaise%(FIAF)%Fall%Fes+val%(Sept%29%–%Oct%4)%%% Press( “Gazing%at%this%exquisitely%designed%living%sculpture,%you%also%feel%your%own%body%straining%with% Hassabi,%and%in%the%slow%fric+on%between%these%two%views,%mysterious%emo+ons%ignite.”' '''''''''''''''''''''''''''Deborah'JowiQ,'THE'VILLAGE'VOICE,'October'2,'2009  %% Credits( SOLO%and%SoloShow%are%coGproduced%and%presented%by%Performance%Space%122;%the%French%Ins+tute% Alliance%Francaise%(FIAF)%Crossing%the%Line%Fes+val;%the%2009%Visual%Art%Performance%Biennial% Performa%09;%and%the%Portland%Ins+tute%for%Contemporary%Art%as%part%of%their%TBA%Fes+val.%% SOLO%and%SoloShow%have%received%funding%from%the%Na+onal%Performance%Network%Crea+on%Fund;% the%ManhaYan%Community%Arts%Fund%supported%by%the%NYC%Department%of%Cultural%Affairs,% administered%by%the%LMCC%and%The%Brown%Founda+on,%Inc.%of%Houston.% Vimeo:%hYp://vimeo.com/63749241% Password:%solo% En+re%length% 46

RESUME Born%1973,%Cyprus.%Lives%and%works%in%New%York,%NY% EDUCATION% 1994G2003,%Alexander%Technique%with%Shelley%Senter,%Judith%Lakin,%June%Ekman% 1997,%"Pilates%Method%of%Body%Condi+oning”%G%Cer+ﬁcate% 1994G96,%Merce%Cunningham%Dance%Founda+on,%New%York% % % % 1994,%California%Ins+tute%of%the%Arts,%Valencia,%CA%G%Bachelor%of%Fine%Arts%

CHANDELIERS%(2012)( Installa5on%% G%Centre%d’Art%Contemporain%Geneva,%as%part%of%the%exhibi+on%Coming%Soon,% Geneva,%Switzerland%/%May%31%–%August%12,%2012%

WORKS% PLASTIC%(2015)( Live'Installa5on' G%Museum%of%Modern%Art,%New%York%/%February%2016% G%The%Stedelijk%Museum,%The%Netherlands%/%April%16G26,%2015% G%Hammer%Museum,%Los%Angeles%USA%/%January%31%G%March%1,%2015%

THE(LADIES((2011G12)( Short'Film' G%CentrePasquArt%as%part%of%Le%Mouvement:%Performing%the%City,%Biel,% %%Switzerland%/%August%30%–%November%2,%2014%% G%Cipriani%Wall%Street,%LMCC%at%The%Downtown%Dinner,%New%York%/%April%23,%2012% G%FIAF’s%Crossing%the%Line%Fes+val%/%September%17%–%November%5,%2011%

PREMIERE((2013)% Quintet' G%Het%Veem%Theater,%Amsterdam,%Netherlands%/%April%10,11,%2015% G%Fes+val%für%Ak+onskunst,%Bern,%Switzerland%/%December%3,%2014% G%steirischer%herbst,%Graz,%Austria%/%September%27,28,%2014% G%River%to%River%Fes+val,%New%York,%US%/%June%27,28,%2014% G%NEAT%Fes+val,%Nopngham,%UK%/%May%23,%2014% G%Göteborgs%Dans%&%Teater%Fes+val,%Göteborg,%Sweden%/%May%20,%2014% G%Kunstenfes+valdesarts,%Brussels,%Belgium%/%May%3,4,5,%2014% G%XING,%Bologna,%Italy%/%April%10,%2014% G%Premiere:%The%Kitchen%coGpresented%with%Performa%as%part%of%Performa13,%NY%% Nov%6%–%9,%2013%

SHOW((2011)% Duet' G%Kunsthall%Oslo,%Norway%/%September%6,%2014% G%Le%Mouvement:%Performing%the%City,%Biel,%Switzerland%/%August%26%–%31,%2014% G%Volcano%Extravaganza%2013%G%Evil%Under%The%Sun,%Stromboli,%Italy%/%August%22,%2013% G%American%Realness,%New%York%/%January%10%–%13,%2013% G%Vienna%Fair,%Vienna,%Austria%/%September%19%–%22,%2012% G%River%to%River%Fes+val,%New%York%/%June%28%–%30,%July%1,%2012% G%Middelheim%Museum,%Antwerp,%Belgium%/%May%27,%2012% G%Premiere:%The%Kitchen,%New%York%/%November%3%–%5,%2011%

INTERMISSION((2013)% Live'Installa5on' 6'Australian'Center'for'Contemporary'Art,'Melbourne,'Australia'/'Oct'10'6'Nov'23,'2014' G%55th%Venice%Biennale%2013,%as%part%of%“Oo”,%the%Cyprus%and%Lithuanian%Pavilion,Venice,% Italy%/%May%29%–%June%5,%2013% COUNTER/(RELIEF((2011/2013)( Duet'(collabora5on'with'Jimmy'Robert)' G%Premiere:%Performa+k%Fes+val,%Kaaitheater,%Brussels,%Belgium%/%February%22%–%24,%2013% G%Museum%of%Contemporary%Art,%Chicago%/%August%24,%2012% G%Premiere:%CCS%Bard%Galleries,%AnnandaleGonGHudson,%New%York%/%May%1,%2011%

ROBERT(&(MARIA%(2010)( Duet%% G%NoYdance%Fes+val%2013,%Dance4,%Nopngham,%UK%/%March%15,%2013% G%Fes+val%Contemporâneo%de%Dança,%São%Paulo,%Brazil%/%November%16%–%18,%2012% G%Panorama%Fes+val,%Rio%de%Janeiro,%Brazil%/%November%12%–%13,%2012% G%Frasca+%Theater,%Amsterdam,%The%Netherlands%/%May%1%–%2,%2012% G%Springdance%Fes+val,%Utrecht,%The%Netherlands%/%April%21%–%22,%2012% G%Danspace%Project,%New%York%/%January%9%–%10,%2012% G%Tanz%im%August,%Berlin,%Germany%/%August%17%–%18,%2011% G%ImPulsTanz,%Vienna,%Austria%/%August%11,%2011% G%deSingel%Interna+onale%Kunstcampus,%Antwerpen,%Belgium%/%Jan%27%–%28,%2011% G%Premiere:%Danspace%Project%Plazorm%2010:%'i%get%lost',%curated%by%Ralph%Lemon,% %New%York%/%April%15%–%17,%2010

SOLOSHOW((2009)% Solo' G%City%of%Women%Fes+val,%Ljubljana,%Slovenia%/%October%8,%2012% G%deSingel%Interna+onale%Kunstcampus,%Antwerpen,%Belgium%/%April%28,%2011% G%Portland%Ins+tute%for%Contemporary%Art,%as%part%of%TBA%Fes+val,% %Oregon%/%September%11%–%14,%2010% G%Kaaistudios,%as%part%of%WoWmen!%Fes+val,%Brussels,%Belgium%/%March%19%–%20,%2010% G%Performance%Space%122,%as%part%of%COIL%Fes+val,%New%York%/%January%11%–%12,%2010% G%Premiere:%Performance%Space%122,%coGpresented%by%Performa%09,% %New%York%/%November%12%–%15,%2009%

SOLO((2009)% Solo' G%NoYdance%Fes+val%2013,%Nopngham,%UK%/%March%10,%2013% G%Lavanderia%a%Vapore,%Torino,%Italy%/%March%7,%2013%%%%%%%%%%% G%Beit%Hair%Center%for%Urban%Culture,%Tel%Aviv,%Israel%/%November%27,%2011% G%Soumaya%Museum,%Mexico%City,%Mexico%/%April%8,%2011% G%BOUGE%B%Fes+val,%deSingel%Interna+onale%Kunstcampus,% %Antwerpen,%Belgium%/%April%23,%2010%%% % G%Premiere:%Performance%Space%122,%coGpresented%by%FIAF’s% %Crossing%the%Line%Fes+val,%New%York%/%September%29%–%October%4,%2009

GLORIA%(2007)( Duet' G%InGPresentable%08%Fes+val,%Madrid,%Spain%/%June%21,%2008% G%Performance%Space%122,%as%part%of%COIL%Fes+val,%New%York%/%January%11%–%12,%2008% G%Premiere:%Performance%Space%122,%New%York%/%November%7%–%10,%2007% G%Movement%Research%Fes+val,%New%York%/%June%8,%2007% Trio' G%Premiere:%Ballroom%Marfa,%Texas%/%May%11,%2007% STILL(SMOKING((2006)( Sextet' G%ImPulsTanz%Fes+val,%[8:tension]%Young%Choreographers'%Series,%Vienna,%Austria%/%August%7,%2006% G%9th%European%Dance%Fes+val,%Rialto%Theater,%Limassol,%Cyprus%/%June%24,%2006% G%Premiere:%The%Kitchen,%New%York%/%April%7%–%13,%2006% DEAD(IS(DEAD((2004)% Sextet' G%Premiere:%Dance%Theater%Workshop,%New%York%/%December%9%–%11,%2004% LIGHTS%(2001)( Trio' G%Athens,%Greece%/%March%29,%2002% G%Fringe%Tomar%Interna+onal%Fes+val%of%Contemporary%Dance,%Portugal%/%September%23,%2001% G%Premiere:%Biennale%of%Young%Ar+sts%of%Europe%and%the%Mediterranean,% %Sarajevo%/%July%22,%2001% G%PS%1%Contemporary%Art%Center,%New%York%/%July%14,%2001% G%Movement%Research%at%Judson%Memorial%Church,%New%York%/%2001% G%Dixon%Place,%New%York%/%2001%

AWARDS%G%GRANTS%% 2015' G%The%Herb%Alpert%Award%in%Dance% 2014' G%Jerome%Founda+on,%Grant% 2013' G%“Special%Men+on”%for%the%Cyprus%and%Lithuanian%Pavilion%at%55th%Venice%Biennale% G%The%MAP%Fund,%Grant% G%LMCC’s%Extended%Life%Program,%Grant% G%Jerome%Founda+on,%Grant% G%ManhaYan%Community%Arts%Fund,%supported%by%the%NYC%Department%of%Cultural%Affairs% %and%administered%by%the%LMCC,%Grant% G%Mertz%Gilmore%Founda+on,%Grant% 2012' ' ' G%LMCC%(Lower%ManhaYan%Council%of%the%Arts)%President's%Award%for%Performing%Arts% 2011'' ' ' G%Guggenheim%Fellowship%% G%The%MAP%Fund,%Grant% G%The%Brown%Founda+on,%Inc.%of%Houston,%Grant% G%Jerome%Founda+on,%Grant% G%ManhaYan%Community%Arts%Fund,%supported%by%the%NYC%Department%of%Cultural%Affairs% %and%administered%by%the%LMCC,%Grant% 2009'' ' ' G%Founda+on%for%Contemporary%Arts,%2009%Grants%to%Ar+sts%Award% G%Na+onal%Performance%Network%Crea+on%Fund,%Grant% G%The%Brown%Founda+on,%Inc.%of%Houston,%Grant% G%ManhaYan%Community%Arts%Fund,%supported%by%the%NYC%Department%of%Cultural%Affairs% %and%administered%by%the%LMCC,%Grant% 2007'' ' ' G%Founda+on%2021,%Grant% G%ManhaYan%Community%Arts%Fund,%supported%by%the%NYC%Department% %of%Cultural%Affairs%and%administered%by%the%LMCC,%Grant% 2006' ' ' G%Founda+on%2021,%Grant% G%The%Brown%Founda+on,%Inc.%of%Houston,%Grant%

RESIDENCIES%G%TEACHING%G%LECTURES% 2013' G%Mount%Tremper,%New%York,%US%/%Residency%for%the%crea+on%of%PREMIERE% %October%16%–%26,%2013% G%PaGf,%St%Ermes,%France%/%Residency%for%the%crea+on%of%PREMIERE% %August%2%–%17,%2013% G%Kaaitheater,%Brussels,%Belgium%/%Residency%for%the%crea+on%of%PREMIERE% %June%17%–%30,%2013% G%Dance4,%Nopngham,%UK%/%Residency%for%the%crea+on%of%PREMIERE% %March%11%–%22,%2013% G%Dance4,%Nopngham,%UK%/%Guest%Teacher% G%BalleYo%Teatro%di%Torino,%Turin,%Italy%/%Guest%Teacher% 2012% % G%Plesni%Teater%Ljubljana,%Slovenia%/%Workshop%and%Presenta+on% %September%30%–%October%7,%2012% % % G%ImPulsTanz%Fes+val,%Vienna%/%Coaching%Workshop%with%Krõõt%Juurak% %August%6%–%10,%2012% G%Mentoring%Europe%in%Mo+on,%Springdance%Fes+val,%Utrecht%/%April%16%–%26,%2012% 2011%% % % G%ImPulsTanz%Fes+val,%Vienna%/%Residency%for%the%crea+on%of%SHOW% G%Kaai%Theater,%Brussels%/%Residency%for%crea+on%of%CounterGrelief% G%deSingel,%Antwerp%/%Guest%Teacher% 2010% % % G%Paciﬁc%Northwest%College%of%Art%/%Guest%Lecturer%and%Teacher% G%DANSLAB,%Den%Haag,%The%Netherlands%/%Guest%Teacher%and%Residency% %for%the%crea+on%of%Robert%and%Maria% 2009%% % % G%Herberger%College%of%the%Arts%at%Arizona%State%University,%Tempe%/%Guest%Lecturer,% %Teacher%and%Residency%for%the%crea+on%of%SoloShow% 2004%% % % G%Residency%at%LEXDance%Under%the%Radar%Residency%Program%%/%Residency%for% %the%crea+on%of%Dead%is%Dead%

2004'' ' ' G%Founda+on%2021,%Grant%

SELECTED(BIBLIOGRAPHY((

Books' 1.Chris%Sharp,%‘SHOW(and(The(Ladies’%in%Le%Movement:%Performing%the%City’,% %%%DISTANZ%Publica+ons,%August%2014% 2.%Jenn%Joy,%‘Dear(N’(in(DANSE:(An(Anthology,%Les%presses%du%réel,%Dijon,%201  3.%RoseLee%Goldberg,%‘SoloShow:(Maria(Hassabi’(in%Performa%09:%Back%to%Futurism,% %%%%Performa%Publica+ons,%New%York,%2011,%pp.%236G239%%

Magazine'/'Newspaper'Ar5cles'/'Journals' 1.%Astrid%Kaminski,%“Join(the(Movement”%in%Frieze%#168:%January/February%2015,%pp.%102G111% 2.%Biba%Bell,%“Slow(Work(/(Dance’s(temporal(eﬀort(in(the(visual(sphere”,% %%%%in%PERFORMANCE%%%RESEARCH:%A%Journal%of%the%Performing%Arts.%Published%online:%13%Aug%2014.%% 3.%Lauren%Grace%Bakst,%‘Scoi(Lyall(and(Maria(Hassabi’,%BOMB%Magazine%website% %%%(hYp://bombmagazine.org/ar+cle/1000022/scoYGlyallGandGmariaGhassabi),%February%2014  4.%Siobhan%Burke,%‘One(Step(Forward,(One(Step(Back’,%in%The%New%York%Times,%November%11,%2013  5.%Apollinaire%Scherr,(‘Maria(Hassabi,(The(Kitchen,(New(York’,% %%%%in%The%Financial%Times,%November%10,%2013%% 6.%Andrew%Boynton.%‘A(Dance(of(a(Million(Premières’,%The%New%Yorker%website% %%%(hYp://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/culture/2013/11/mariaGhassabisGpremiere.html),% %%%November%2013.%% 7.%Cris+ane%Bouger,%‘PREMIERE:(Maria(Hassabi’s(New(Instance(on(Dance’,%Performa%Magazine%website% (mariaGhassabisGnewGinstanceGonGdance),%November%2013  8.%Chris%Fitzpatrick,%’18(down,(17(up:(a(pause(with(Maria(Hassabi’,%in%Art%Papers,% %%%%September/October%2013,%pp.%38G40  9.%Claire%Bishop,%‘Now(You(See(It’,%in%Arzorum,%September%2013,%pp.%318G319% 10.%Moriah%Evans,%‘Maria(Hassabi(in(conversaMon(with(Moriah(Evans’,%Movement%Research% %%%%Performance%Journal%#44,%April%2014,%pp.%20G23

PHOTO%CREDITS% Front%cover% PLASTIC%(2015)' Installa+on%view,%Hammer%Museum,%Los%Angeles,%January%31GMarch%1,%2015.% Courtesy%of%the%ar+st.%Photo%by%Thomas%Poravas.%

Page%25,26% CHANDELIERS%(2012)% Installa+on%View%from%Centre%d’Art%Contemporain%Genève,%Switzerland,% May%31GAugust%12,%2012.%%

Page%8,9,10,11,12,13,53% PLASTIC%(2015)' Installa+on%view,%Hammer%Museum,%Los%Angeles,%January%31GMarch%1,%2015.% Courtesy%of%the%ar+st.%Photo%by%Thomas%Poravas.%

Page%27,28,30,31% THE'LADIES'(2012)' Film%S+ll.%Courtesy%of%the%ar+st.%Photo%by%Francis%Coy.%

Page%14,15,18% PREMIERE'(2013)%' Presenta+on%at%The%Kitchen,%New%York%as%part%of%Performa%13,%November%6%G9,%2013.% Courtesy%of%the%ar+st.%Photo%by%Paula%Court.% Page%17% PREMIERE'(2013)%' Presenta+on%at%MAMbo%through%XING%fes+val,%Bologna,%Italy,%April%10,%2014.% Courtesy%of%the%ar+st.%Photo%by%Dag%Bennstrom.% Page%19% INTERMISSION'(2013)' Installa+on%view,%Cypriot%and%Lithuanian%Pavilion,%55th%Interna+onal%Venice%Biennale,% May%28%–%June%4,%2013.%Courtesy%of%the%ar+st.%Photo%by%Robertas%Narkus.% Exhibi+on%view%includes%artwork%by%Phanos%Kyriacou,%Eleven%hosts,%twentyGone%guests,% nine%ghosts,%mixed%media,%2013.% Page%20% INTERMISSION'(2013)' Installa+on%view,%Cypriot%and%Lithuanian%Pavilion,%55th%Interna+onal%Venice%Biennale,% May%28%–%June%4,%2013.%Courtesy%of%the%ar+st.%Photo%by%Robertas%Narkus.% Exhibi+on%view%includes%artwork%by%Gabriel%Lester’s%Cousins%(2013)%

Page%32,35% SHOW'(2011)% Presenta+on%at%The%Kitchen,%New%York%November%3G5,%2011.% Courtesy%of%the%ar+st.%Photo%by%Francis%Coy.% Page%33% SHOW'(2011)' Presenta+on%at%Le%Mouvement:%Performing%the%City,%Biel,%Switzerland,%August%26G31,%2014.% Courtesy%of%the%ar+st.%Photo%by%Alex%Safari%Kangangi.% Page%36,39% ROBERT'&'MARIA'(2010)%' Presenta+on%at%Danspace%Project,%New%York%April%15G17,%2010.% Courtesy%of%the%ar+st.%Photo%by%George%Kontos.% Page%37% ROBERT'&'MARIA'(2010)%' Presenta+on%at%Danspace%Project,%New%York%April%15G17,%2010.% Courtesy%of%the%ar+st.%Photo%by%Antoine%Tempé.%% Page%40% SOLOSHOW'(2009)' Courtesy%of%the%ar+st.%Photo%by%Jason%Schmidt.%

Page%21% INTERMISSION'(2013)' Installa+on%view,%Cypriot%and%Lithuanian%Pavilion,%55th%Interna+onal%Venice%Biennale,% May%28%–%June%4,%2013.%Courtesy%of%the%ar+st.%Photo%by%George%Kontos.%%

Page%41,43% SOLOSHOW'(2009)' Presenta+on%at%PS122,%New%York,%as%part%of%Performa%09.%November%12G15,%2009.% Courtesy%of%the%ar+st.%Photo%by%Paula%Court.%

Page%22,23,24% Counter6relief'(2011G13)' Installa+on%view,%CCS%Bard%Galleries,%Bard%College,%AnnandaleGonGHudson,%New%York,% May%1,%2011.%Courtesy%of%the%ar+sts%Maria%Hassabi%and%Jimmy%Robert.%

Page%44,45,46% SOLO'(2009)' Presenta+on%at%PS122,%New%York,%September%29%–%October%4,%2009.% Courtesy%of%the%ar+st.%Photo%by%Paula%Court.

THE BREEDER !

MARIA HASSABI Born in Nicosia, Cyprus. Lives in New York City WORKS * PLASTIC (2015) Live Installation Museum of Modern Art, New York / February 21 - March 20, 2016 The Stedelijk Museum, The Netherlands / April 16 - 26, 2015 Hammer Museum, Los Angeles USA / January 31 - March 1, 2015 * A Dance without Dance (2015) Installation DESTE Prize 2015, Cycladic Museum, Athens Greece / May 27 - September 30, 2015 * PREMIERE (2013) Quintet Het Veem Theater, Amsterdam, Netherlands / April 10,11, 2015 Festival für Aktionskunst, Bern, Switzerland / December 3, 2014 steirischer herbst, Graz, Austria / September 27,28, 2014 River to River Festival, New York, US / June 27,28, 2014 NEAT Festival, Nottingham, UK / May 23, 2014 Göteborgs Dans & Teater Festival, Göteborg, Sweden / May 20, 2014 Kunstenfestivaldesarts, Brussels, Belgium / May 3,4,5, 2014 XING, Bologna, Italy / April 10, 2014 Premiere: The Kitchen co-presented with Performa as part of Performa13, New York / November 6 - 9, 2013 * Intermission (2013) Live Installation Australian Center for Contemporary Art, Melbourne, Australia / October 10 November 23, 2014 55th Venice Biennale 2013, as part of “Oo”, the Cyprus and Lithuanian Pavilion, Venice, Italy / May 29 - June 5, 2013 * Counter-relief (2011-13) Duet (collaboration with Jimmy Robert) Performatik Festival, Kaaitheater, Brussels, Belgium / February 22 - 24, 2013 Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago / August 24, 2012 Premiere: CCS Bard Galleries, Annandale-on-Hudson, New York / May 1, 2011 * CHANDELIERS (2012) Installation THE BREEDER 45 Iasonos st, GR 10436, Athens, t/f: +30 210 33 17 527, gallery@thebreedersystem.com www.thebreedersystem.com

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THE BREEDER !

Centre d’Art Contemporain Geneva, as part of the exhibition Coming Soon, Geneva, Switzerland / May 31 - August 12, 2012 * SHOW (2011) Duet REAL DMZ PROJECT 2015, Art Sonje Center, Seoul, Korea / August 28, 2015 Pavilion Dance South West, Bournemouth, UK / July 19, 2015 Kunsthall Oslo, Norway / September 6, 2014 Le Mouvement: Performing the City, Biel, Switzerland / August 26 - 31, 2014 Volcano Extravaganza 2013 - Evil Under The Sun, Stromboli, Italy / August 22, 2013 American Realness, New York / January 10 - 13, 2013 Vienna Fair, Vienna, Austria / September 19 - 22, 2012 River to River Festival, New York / June 28 - 30, July 1, 2012 Middelheim Museum, Antwerp, Belgium / May 27, 2012 Premiere: The Kitchen, New York / November 3 - 5, 2011 * The Ladies (2011) Short Film or Public Performances Soft City, Inter Arts Center, Malmö, Sweden / September 4 - 19, 2015 CentrePasquArt as part of Le Mouvement: Performing the City, Biel, Switzerland / August 30 - November 2, 2014 Cipriani Wall Street, LMCC at The Downtown Dinner, New York / April 23, 2012 FIAF’s Crossing the Line Festival / September 17 - November 5, 2011 * Robert and Maria (2010) Duet Nottdance Festival 2013, Dance4, Nottingham, UK / March 15, 2013 Festival Contemporâneo de Dança, São Paulo, Brazil / November 16 - 18, 2012 Panorama Festival, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil / November 12 - 13, 2012 Frascati Theater, Amsterdam, The Netherlands / May 1 - 2, 2012 Springdance Festival, Utrecht, The Netherlands / April 21 - 22, 2012 Danspace Project, New York / January 9 - 10, 2012 Tanz im August, Berlin, Germany / August 17 - 18, 2011 ImPulsTanz, Vienna, Austria / August 11, 2011 deSingel Internationale Kunstcampus, Antwerpen, Belgium / January 27 - 28, 2011 Premiere: Danspace Project Platform 2010: 'i get lost', curated by Ralph Lemon, New York / April 15 -17, 2010 * SoloShow (2009) Solo City of Women Festival, Ljubljana, Slovenia / October 8, 2012 deSingel Internationale Kunstcampus, Antwerpen, Belgium / April 28, 2011 THE BREEDER 45 Iasonos st, GR 10436, Athens, t/f: +30 210 33 17 527, gallery@thebreedersystem.com www.thebreedersystem.com

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THE BREEDER !

Portland Institute for Contemporary Art, as part of TBA Festival, Oregon / September 11 - 14, 2010 Kaaistudios, as part of WoWmen! Festival, Brussels, Belgium / March 19 - 20, 2010 Performance Space 122, as part of COIL Festival, New York / January 11 12, 2010 Premiere: Performance Space 122, co-presented by Performa 09, New York / November 12 - 15, 2009 * SOLO (2009) Solo PLAYGROUND Festival, M Museum, Leuven, Belgium / November 21, 22, 2015 Serralves Museum of Contemporary Art, Porto, Portugal / September 19, 20, 2015 Nottdance Festival 2013, Nottingham, UK / March 10, 2013 Lavanderia a Vapore, Torino, Italy / March 7, 2013 Beit Hair Center for Urban Culture, Tel Aviv, Israel / November 27, 2011 Soumaya Museum, Mexico City, Mexico / April 8, 2011 BOUGE B Festival, deSingel Internationale Kunstcampus, Antwerpen, Belgium / April 23, 2010 Premiere: Performance Space 122, co-presented by FIAFâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Crossing the Line Festival, New York / September 29 - October 4, 2009 * GLORIA (2007) Duet In-Presentable 08 Festival, Madrid, Spain / June 21, 2008 Performance Space 122, as part of COIL Festival, New York / January 11 12, 2008 Premiere: Performance Space 122, New York / November 7 - 10, 2007 Movement Research Festival, New York / June 8, 2007 Trio Premiere: Ballroom Marfa, Texas / May 11, 2007 * Still Smoking (2006) Sextet ImPulsTanz Festival, [8:tension] Young Choreographers' Series, Vienna, Austria / August 7, 2006 9th European Dance Festival, Rialto Theater, Limassol, Cyprus / June 24, 2006 Premiere: The Kitchen, New York / April 7 - 13, 2006 * Dead is Dead (2004) Sextet Premiere: Dance Theater Workshop, New York / December 9 - 11, 2004

THE BREEDER 45 Iasonos st, GR 10436, Athens, t/f: +30 210 33 17 527, gallery@thebreedersystem.com www.thebreedersystem.com

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THE BREEDER !

* LIGHTS (2001) Trio Athens, Greece / March 29, 2002 Fringe Tomar International Festival of Contemporary Dance, Portugal / September 23, 2001 Premiere: Biennale of Young Artists of Europe and the Mediterranean, Sarajevo / July 22, 2001 PS 1 Contemporary Art Center, New York / July 14, 2001 Movement Research at Judson Memorial Church, New York / 2001 Dixon Place, New York / 2001 AWARDS / GRANTS 2015 The Herb Alpert Award 2014 Jerome Foundation, Grant 2013 “Special Mention” for the Cyprus and Lithuanian Pavilion at 55th Venice Biennale The MAP Fund, Grant LMCC’s Extended Life Program, Grant Jerome Foundation, Grant Manhattan Community Arts Fund, supported by the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs and administered by the LMCC, Grant Mertz Gilmore Foundation, Grant 2012 LMCC (Lower Manhattan Council of the Arts) President's Award for Performing Arts 2011 Guggenheim Fellowship The MAP Fund, Grant The Brown Foundation, Inc. of Houston, Grant Jerome Foundation, Grant Manhattan Community Arts Fund, supported by the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs and administered by the LMCC, Grant 2009 Foundation for Contemporary Arts, 2009 Grants to Artists Award National Performance Network Creation Fund, Grant The Brown Foundation, Inc. of Houston, Grant Manhattan Community Arts Fund, supported by the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs and administered by the LMCC, Grant THE BREEDER 45 Iasonos st, GR 10436, Athens, t/f: +30 210 33 17 527, gallery@thebreedersystem.com www.thebreedersystem.com

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THE BREEDER !

2007 Foundation 2021, Grant Manhattan Community Arts Fund, supported by the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs and administered by the LMCC, Grant 2006 Foundation 2021, Grant The Brown Foundation, Inc. of Houston, Grant 2004 Foundation 2021, Grant RESIDENCIES / TEACHING / LECTURES 2015 School for New Dance Development, Amsterdam, The Netherlands / Setting new work on students / November 30 - December 11, 2015 Rauschenberg Residency, Captiva Florida / September 21 - October 23, 2015 Hammer Museum, Los Angeles / Residency for the creation of PLASTIC / January 17 - 30, 2015 2013 Mount Tremper, New York, US / Residency for the creation of PREMIERE / October 16 - 26, 2013 Pa-f, St Ermes, France / Residency for the creation of PREMIERE / August 2 - 17, 2013 Kaaitheater, Brussels, Belgium / Residency for the creation of PREMIERE / June 17 - 30, 2013 Dance4, Nottingham, UK / Residency for the creation of PREMIERE / March 11 - 22, 2013 Dance4, Nottingham, UK / Guest Teacher Balletto Teatro di Torino, Turin, Italy / Guest Teacher 2012 Plesni Teater Ljubljana, Slovenia / Workshop and Presentation / September 30 - October 7, 2012 ImPulsTanz Festival, Vienna / Coaching Workshop with Kroﾌバﾌフ Juurak / August 6 - 10, 2012 Mentoring Europe in Motion, Springdance Festival, Utrecht / April 16 - 26, 2012 2011 ImPulsTanz Festival, Vienna / Residency for the creation of SHOW Kaai Theater, Brussels / Residency for creation of Counter-relief deSingel, Antwerp / Guest Teacher 2010 Pacific Northwest College of Art / Guest Lecturer and Teacher THE BREEDER 45 Iasonos st, GR 10436, Athens, t/f: +30 210 33 17 527, gallery@thebreedersystem.com www.thebreedersystem.com

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THE BREEDER !

DANSLAB, Den Haag, The Netherlands / Guest Teacher and Residency for the creation of Robert and Maria 2009 Herberger College of the Arts at Arizona State University, Tempe / Guest Lecturer, Teacher and Residency for the creation of SoloShow 2004 Residency at LEXDance Under the Radar Residency Program / Residency for the creation of Dead is Dead

THE BREEDER 45 Iasonos st, GR 10436, Athens, t/f: +30 210 33 17 527, gallery@thebreedersystem.com www.thebreedersystem.com

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Courtesy The Breeder, Athens www.thebreedersystem.com gallery@thebreedersystem.com +30 210 3317527

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Contact:(Maria(Hassabi(((/(((Phone:(+1(917(449(2703(((/(((Email:(info@mariahassabi.com(((/(((Website:(www.mariahassabi.com