Sarah Michelson: /\ March 2020 (4pb)

For nearly 20 years, the Walker has sustained a close relationship with New York–based choreographer Sarah Michelson (UK, b. 1964), whose performances have been presented here onstage and at sites across the campus, in both indoor and outdoor locations. Since the early 1990s, Michelson has been creating dances she has referred to as “‘studio work,’ to look at and be with, constructed in this time for this time—an attempt to stay fresh and work hard, but invite no celebration, no opinion, no success.” Her performances have attempted to explore the nature of dance itself, both as an art form and as physical, intellectual, and emotional labor.

Michelson’s previous presentations at the Walker have included the commissioned performances Daylight (for Minneapolis) (2005), Devotion (2011), and tournamento (2015) as well as October2018/\ (2018), which is part of a series that includes her new work featured in this exhibition. Built for a gallery space and made specifically for the Walker, /\ March 2020 (4pb) (2020) is the artist’s first object-based work. This exhibition marks the premiere of the new installation, now part of the Walker’s collection, and is Michelson’s first museum acquisition to date.

Curatorial team: Pavel Pyś, curator, Visual Arts; and Philip Bither, McGuire Director and Senior Curator, Performing Arts