Okwui Okpokwasili: a story across space and time

Brooklyn-based choreographer, performer and writer Okwui Okpokwasili (b. 1972) will exhibit her performative work as the first »artist in residence« at the Marie-Josée and Henry Kravis Studio, a »state of the art space« in the heart of MoMA, beginning July 30. She combines elements of dance, theater and visual art. In the studio, Okpokwasili develops a story she has written herself to unfold across space and time. She begins with a fictional event in a pre-colonial Nigeria and focuses on a family's violent involvement in the transatlantic slave trade. Together with a group of collaborators, Okpokwasili will use the time available to her under the grant to tell the story using movement, sound, spoken text and »folk« songs. The works are created in collaboration with designer Peter Born. Those who wish can visit through August 28.

Okpokwasili's work explores the roles of African and African-American women by creating multidisciplinary performance pieces that seek to shape a shared space for audience and performer. »I want to create complete and diverse characters with integrity, brown bodies working in a specific and charged context,« she says.

The Marie-Josée and Henry Kravis Studio is a live event space that explores performance, music, sound, spoken word, and expanded approaches to the moving image. It is a fundamental element of MoMA's efforts to bring its collection to life and enrich it with new commissions by established and emerging artists.