“Onto Objects: Performances by Patty Chang and Jeffrey Gibson,” January 29, 2014

Patty Chang and Jeffrey Gibson stage new performances as part of the one-night exhibition, “Onto Objects.” By layering their personal interpretations onto the Museum context, Chang and Gibson recast works they selected from the MFA’s collection as receptacles for individuals’ stories.

In “Timeline 1.29.14,”2014, Gibson choreographs a conversation between himself, a Jackson Pollock painting, and an ancient Puebloan bowl. He invites an art critic to play the role of a therapist who moderates the session. The performance draws from research on spiritualism and struggle in Pollock’s life, and from Gibson’s personal experience as a Native American artist navigating tradition and experimentation in his own art.

In “Flash Burn in Uzbekistan,” 2014, Chang builds a story using images, language, objects, and performance—set within a period room that evokes a home from the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644). To create this work, Chang collaborated with curators who care for the MFA’s vast Asian holdings. Their conversations highlight the emotional attachments, 奖学金, conservation, and other modes of representation layered onto objects. From this mix, Chang employs her lactating body to make the Museum space feel warm, alive and “lived in.”

Funded by the generous support of members of the Contemporary Visiting Committee.