Whitechapel Gallery Examines Institutionalization of Performance Art

The exhibition "Out of the Margins: Performance in London’s Institutions 1990s – 2010s" at Whitechapel Gallery explores the evolution of live art within London’s institutions. It showcases significant events, including Lois Keidan’s leadership at the ICA during the 1990s and the launch of The Tanks at Tate Modern in 2012. Curatorial archives, interviews, and performance records are displayed, featuring works like Franko B’s I’m Not Your Babe (1996) and Vaginal Davis’s Memory Island (2011). A typewritten note outlines materials for Hermann Nitsch’s The Orgies Mystery Theatre (2002). The exhibition also includes a timeline of institutions such as Gasworks and LADA. However, the review points out its failure to acknowledge underground drag, queer cabaret, musicals, theatre, and opera. It is open from 30 August to 15 January.