Food Rental

Aki Sasamoto stages her meandering performances against sparsely sketched sets scattered with miscellaneous collections of altered furniture and other household objects. Basing much of her choreography on physical training routines, the artist uses her body as an instrument of communication—perching on, pouncing through, and crawling out of the obstacles she has assembled, treating objects alternately as sets, props, and costumes. Sasamoto’s performances follow the forward momentum of her monologues, as she slowly navigates across the room, forcing the surrounding crowd to shift around her movements. Sasamoto sets her plays inside the mind, tracing diagrams on white drywall backdrops as if on classroom whiteboards, and dancing between the roles of erratic professor, dissatisfied lover, and surreal psychotherapist.

For the High Line, Sasamoto presents Food Rental, a new performance for which she will bring a custom-built food cart to the High Line at the Rail Yards. From her perch inside the cart, the artist will offer visitors an à la carte selection of micro performances and playful narrative demonstrations. Like an off-kilter life hacking workshop, Food Rental will continue Sasamoto’s history of performances that engage visitors with sneakily shifting stage sets and unruly props.

Organized by Cecilia Alemani, Donald R. Mullen, Jr. Director & Chief Curator, and Melanie Kress, High Line Art Associate Curator.