Clifford Owens: Anthology
Text by Huey Copeland, John Bowles, Christopher Y. Lew; conversation moderated by Kellie Jones
MoMA PS1, 2012
Softcover, 6.5 x 8.9 in.
192 pages
$34.95
WPA Note:
This book is part of our series on instruction-based practices in conjunction with Misha Ilin's residency at WPA in 2023.
Description:
Clifford Owens (born 1971) has long been aware that the history of African-American performance art remains largely unwritten. Rather than rectifying the oversight in scholarly terms, Owens has created an unprecedented artistic project, a compendium of African-American performance art that is both highly personal and thoroughly historical. This volume, Owens’ first publication, includes written performance scores that Owens solicited from fellow African-American artists, which he then enacted in various locations at MoMA PS1. Clifford Owens: Anthology brings together the final artworks that resulted from the performances, and features essays by art historians Huey Copeland and John Bowles, as well as MoMA PS1 assistant curator Christopher Y. Lew. It also includes interviews with individuals who attended the live performances and a round-table discussion with selected Anthology artists moderated by art historian Kellie Jones.
About the Artist:
Clifford Owens is an African-American mixed media and performance artist, writer and curator. Owens was born in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1971 and spent his early life in Baltimore. Owens is known for his works which center on the body and often include interactions with the audience and spontaneity.