Lior Shvil

Art in General is pleased to present Protocols, a New Commission by Lior Shvil in the 6th floor gallery. This performance is programmed in conjunction with Performa 15.

Performances: Saturday, November 14, 4-6pm Saturday, November 21, 4-6pm

Shvil’s New Commission PROTOCOLS will include a large-scale installation inspired by military counter-insurgency (COIN) training courses, which will be activated by a series of improvisational theater workshops and live performances based on combat procedures throughout the run of show. Reflecting on the psychological effects of the built environment, Shvil’s installation echoes specialized facilities made to imitate the urban terrain of conflict areas. These sites become alternate realities, or stage sets, for the soldiers in them, playing insurgents and civilians in each “mission.” The biomechanics and squad positioning perfected in training exercises are of key interest to the artist, as they are inherently tied to architectural context, and part of his larger investigation in deconstructing relationships between site, history, narrative, and testimony.

Audience members will be invited to work directly with the artist in collaboration with theater director Hollis Witherspoon via an open call for non-professional actors. Participants will rehearse scripts, exercises, and protocols based on Army training manuals and Shvil’s own military experience. Stereotypes embedded in specific roles and choreographies will be investigated and challenged, with opportunities for new understanding to develop. These workshops and performances, rooted in social theater, will be free and open to members of the public as spectators or actors. Throughout this evolving exhibition, audience members will be offered a rare opportunity to both witness and take part in creating content and meaning.

Lior Shvil was born in Tel Aviv, Israel and lives and works in New York. In 2010, he received his MFA from Columbia University. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture, and has completed a Post Graduate program in Art and Design from the Bezalel Academy, Jerusalem. Shvil has recently been included in exhibitions at the ICA Museum, Philadelphia, PA; The RFC Museum, Miami, FL; The Neuberger Museum, Purchase, NY; SculptureCenter, Long Island City, NY; and Socrates Sculpture Park, Long Island City, NY. Solo exhibitions of Shvil’s work have been held at High Desert Test Sites, Joshua Tree, CA (2015); Givon Gallery, Tel Aviv, Israel (2014); CAGE, New York, NY (2014); Andrea Rosen Gallery 2, New York, NY (2011); and Recess, Brooklyn, NY (2010).

Curated by Kristen Chappa