Momenta Art is pleased to present a collaborative performance series by Shaun Leonardo and Clifford Owens entitled Some Things We Do Together.

These artists share an interest in conflict as a means to self-discovery. In his past work, Leonardo, or El C., a masked wrestler thrills the crowd with his dramatic and seemingly painful leaps and stunts set within elaborate cages and rings. But there is no visible, corporeal opponent, leaving the viewer to wonder whom this invisible foe may be. Is it the unseen forces of political power or his own inner struggles made manifest? Clifford Owens’s past work presents the artist as a means to other’s ends. In videotaped studio visits with Carolee Schneemann, Patty Chang, and Joan Jonas, Owens cast himself as a naked tool for the women to utilize to make their own work, allowing them to manipulate his body in any ways they choose. He became a subordinate, non-presence in his studio. His identity as an African American male complicates readings of the performance further.

For the exhibition at Momenta, the artists have built a private performance room within the gallery. The series of performances will explore notions of exclusivity, privilege, privacy, and personal boundaries. Some events will be by invitation only, others will require the viewer to sign non-disclosure contracts with the performers that will guarantee secrecy. The artists have chosen to maintain secrecy about the actual content of each performance in keeping with the intentions of the event. Following performances, ephemera and detritus will be left to be viewed during regular gallery hours.

performance calendar:

September 5, 7- 9pm – During a series of intimate performances individuals will be asked to enter a private enclosed setting within the gallery to experience a personal, customized action with the artists.

September 13, 3- 6pm – 3 groups of pre-invited guests will be asked to enter a private enclosed setting within the gallery to witness an action that reflects the artists’ relationship to each other and their chosen company.

September 20, 7- 9pm – a specific group of performers along with some members of the audience will be asked to enter a private enclosed setting within the gallery to execute a mosh-pit with the artists

During all three weekend performances the general public, if not invited into the interior space, will experience the action from the exterior gallery.

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