Between June 2020 and February 2021 the Dutch American artist Sands Murray-Wassink and Aimar Arriola embarked on an epistolary exchange at the invitation of If I Can't Dance, I Don't Want To Be Part Of Your Revolution – Amsterdam-based organization dedicated to the study of performance. The epistolary exchange was a side element of Murray-Wassink's ‘monumental' 18-month performance Gift Science Archive (GSA), commissioned by If I Can't Dance, in which he and his collaborators dug through, ordered and archived the full inventory of his studio as a durational performance over a one-year period. The exchange –a small element of the wider project– explored themes from across his art and life practices, including issues of self-care, mental health, gender, and sexuality.
Departing from elements of the epistolary exchange, including those related to what a queer form is or can be, as well as ideas on cultural shifts, migration, spirituality, aesthetics, ethnicity, histories, gender and sexuality, mind states and how to deal with them, in this evening Sands Murray-Wassink presents a new performance conceived for the occasion. The performance will draw on recurrent strategies in the artist's work such as citation, live drawing and sustaining something — be it life, thought or action — for a long while.
