in/visible – Brendan Fernandes Performance
Courtesy of the artist and Monique Meloche Gallery
Photo: Nathan Keay
19:00 Introduction by Brendan Fernandes in the Lobby followed by a breathing exercise
19:15 Performance in Amfi
21:00 End
Brendan Fernandes has created a new work for MUNCH. He is known for his experimental approach to dance, which deconstructs ballet and other classical techniques.
in/visible is a performance with five dancers created specifically for the museum’s Amphitheatre. The audience is invited to participate and explore within and around the piece, becoming part of the work and experiencing the performance both inside and outside the amphitheatre.
The performance will make use of the amphitheatre’s glass walls – specifically examining the relationship between visibility and invisibility, as a common experience of marginalised groups. In Fernandes’s work, dance becomes a social-political vehicle and a form of protest. in/visible addresses the need to build communities and safe spaces for queer people and other minorities and is a celebration of club culture in the aftermath of the mass shooting at London Pub during Oslo Pride in the summer of 2022.
This event is a further reminder that hate still exists and that we are still fighting for our safety and our rights as Queers, says Brendan Fernandes.
Each performance will be preceded by a 15-minute introduction by the artist in the lobby, including a social breathing exercise that aims to foster solidarity.
in/visible is created by Brendan Fernandes in collaboration with dramaturg Katlin Bourgeois and dancers Judith Arupa, Ornilia Percia Ubisse, Jonathan Ibsen and Putli Jasmine Hellesen. The soundtrack is created by Alex Inglizian, and costumes are designed by T-Michael (Norwegian Rain). Light design by Jan Erik Holto.
in/visible is a commission for MUNCH Live and is a part of the museum’s new focus on performance. The work is supported by the Embassy of Canada in Oslo.
Brendan Fernandes (b. 1979 in Kenya) is a Canadian artist based in Chicago, working at the intersection of dance and visual arts. Fernandes’ projects address issues of race, queer culture, migration, protest and collective movement. His projects have been shown at the Whitney Biennial (New York); Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (New York); Museum of Modern Art (New York); Getty Museum (Los Angeles); National Gallery of Canada (Ottawa) and MAC (Montreal). He is currently Assistant Professor at Northwestern University in the department of Art Theory and Practice.
