In the late 1960s, Joan Jonas’s early performances utilized mirrors as props for transforming the perception of space and as devices for exploring representation, doubling, and the hierarchies of gender. Mirror Piece I & II (1969/2024) reprises Jonas’s groundbreaking early Mirror Piece works, updated and reconstructed from the notes and photographs of Mirror Piece I (1969) and Mirror Piece II (1970).
In these works, a cast of performers face an audience carrying mirrors and panes of plexiglass in synchronized, choreographed motions. The audience, performers, and surroundings are reflected and fragmented in the moving mirrors as the piece unfolds, blurring the boundary between spectator and participant. As Jonas recalls, “The mirror was a metaphor for me. A device to alter the image and to include the audience as reflection, making them uneasy as they view themselves in public.” This rare presentation of one of Jonas’s most celebrated works will activate MoMA’s public spaces.
The performance is included with Museum admission, and no separate ticket is required.
In the event of inclement weather, performances scheduled for the Sculpture Garden will take place in the Marron Family Atrium.
The performance on Sunday, June 30, at 3:00 p.m. will be followed by a conversation between Joan Jonas, movement director Nefeli Skarmea, and Ana Janevski, curator in the Department of Media and Performance.
Movement Director: Nefeli Skarmea
Performers: Martita Abril (Pichu), Kristel Baldoz, Biba Bell, Joyce Edwards, Miguel Angel Guzmán, Hristoula Harakas, Kehari Hutchinson, djassi daCosta johnson, NIC Kay, Jennifer Kjos, Tara Lorenzen, Mickey Mahar, Lydia Okrent, Stacy Lynn Smith, Jin Ju Song-Begin, Anna Adams Stark, Coco Villa, AJ Wilmore.
Dresses reconstructed by Christian Joy
Prop fabrication by Powerhouse Arts
Organized by Ana Janevski, Curator, with Lilia Rocio Taboada and Gee Wesley, Curatorial Assistants, Department of Media and Performance. Produced by Kate Scherer, Senior Manager and Producer, with Jessie Gold, Assistant Performance Coordinator, Performance and Live Programs.
The exhibition is made possible by Hyundai Card.
Leadership support is provided by the Lonti Ebers Endowment for Performance, the Wallis Annenberg Director’s Fund for Innovation in Contemporary Art, the Jill and Peter Kraus Endowed Fund for Contemporary Exhibitions, and the Julie A. Zoppo Fund for the Exhibition of Women Artists.
Major funding is provided by The Contemporary Arts Council of The Museum of Modern Art.
Additional support is provided by the Leontine S. and Cornell G. Ebers Endowment Fund.
Leadership funding for the publication is provided by the Perry and Nancy Lee Bass Publication Endowment Fund.
Major support for the Joan Jonas Performance Program, developed in conjunction with the exhibition and part of The Marie-Josée and Henry Kravis Studio, is provided by the Sarah Arison Endowment Fund for Performance and by the Wallis Annenberg Director's Fund for Innovation in Contemporary Art.
