Duke Riley's Bed Bug Conspiracy at Red Hook Labs

Duke Riley's project 'In the Darkest Hour I Am By Your Side' at Red Hook Labs in New York, presented by Non-Essential Consultants, Inc., features a living sculpture, a three-channel video, and a performance where the artist sells partial ownership of the company. The video speculatively dramatizes a plot to release bed bugs in a hotel resembling the Trump Hotel in Washington, D.C., using a suitcase containing a miniature diorama habitat. Riley refuses to confirm his involvement, citing CGI and deepfakes. The exhibition also includes the actual cart and suitcase used in the video, separated from viewers by thin glass. Separately, at Performa 19, Nairy Baghramian and Maria Hassabi collaborated on 'Entre Deux Actes (Ménage à Quatre)', a performance set in an early 20th-century house on Fifth Avenue, incorporating Janette Laverrière's 1947 design, Baghramian's 2009 installation, and Carlo Mollino's erotic Polaroids. Hassabi's slow-moving performers guide visitors through functional design works, culminating in a dance duet.