Brendan Fernandes, The Rite

The MCA is pleased to present The Rite (2018) by Brendan Fernandes, as part of City in a Garden: Queer Art and Activism, which is going to be activated on six occasions throughout the run of the exhibition. Inspired by Igor Stravinsky’s historic 1913 ballet, The Rite of Spring, and poses that Fernandes learned as a trainee at the Martha Graham Dance Company, this hour-long durational performance features dancers Laura Baumeister and Katlin Bourgeois, who activate the artwork’s sculptural cage and rocking chairs while improvising within the parameters of Fernandes’s choreography.

Situated within the “Club” section of City in a Garden: Queer Art and Activism, Fernandes notes similarities between his choreographed installations, BDSM culture, and ballet culture, saying that each practice places “an emphasis on trust and confidence within a space where roles of mastery and submission are in play.”