Clifford Owens's Anthology at MoMA PS1 Explores African American Performance Art

Clifford Owens's exhibition "Anthology" at MoMA PS1 (November 13, 2011 – March 12, 2012) investigates the history and current state of African American performance art. Owens invited twenty-six prominent African American performers of various ages to create original scores, which he then interpreted and modified during performances at PS1 throughout summer 2011. The resulting photographic, audio, and video documents form the core of the exhibition, which addresses how racial issues permeate art, sexuality, memory, and cultural history. The performance instructions range from vague to precise, with some functioning as history lessons (Sanford Biggers) and others as critical art historical reinterpretations (Glenn Ligon). Few directly tackle racial questions. Owens's approach becomes evident through audience engagement: in the video "Anthology (Maren Hassinger)," his naked black body is passively manipulated by a predominantly white audience into classical relaxation poses, highlighting racial dynamics. Owens's presence, inseparable from his black identity, establishes a dialogue across races, generations, and historical art movements. The exhibition can be seen as Owens's personal response to William Pope.L's provocative directive: "Be African-American. Be very African-American."