My Barbarian

An in-depth look at the contemporary collectives theatrical art, My Barbarian, is presented in a new book that explores their performances and social and creative commitments. The book accompanies a major retrospective celebrating the group's twentieth anniversary and includes an overview essay that connects their works to historical moments. Other contributions read the collectives output through a lens of queer and other critical theory and contextualize it within the twenty-first-century experimental performance scene. The book is richly illustrated with texts on each of My Barbarian's past works and includes re-creations of performances and video works using stills, photos, drawings, scripts, and personal materials from the artists' archives.

Format: Hardback
Length: 168 pages
Publication date: 14 January 2022
Publisher: Yale University Press

An unparalleled exploration into the contemporary realm of theatrical art, delving into the captivating performances and profound social and creative commitments of the remarkable collective My Barbarian (Malik Gaines, Jade Gordon, and Alexandro Segade). This groundbreaking monograph presents fresh perspectives on the artistic endeavors of this unique group, renowned for their innovative approach to performance. Through their theatricalization of social issues, My Barbarian has adapted narratives from modern plays, historical texts, and mass media, creating powerful and thought-provoking works that resonate with audiences. This comprehensive volume accompanies a major retrospective celebrating the group's twentieth anniversary, offering a deeper understanding of their artistic journey.

In an overview essay, the authors trace the formal qualities of My Barbarian's works across several historical moments: the club era following September 11, 2001; postcolonial theater after the 2008 financial collapse; and political theater responding to the urgent issues of our time. Other contributions delve into the collectives output through the lens of queer and other critical theory, providing valuable insights into their artistic vision.

A visually stunning chronology is included, featuring texts written by the artists themselves that provide insights into each of My Barbarian's past works. Stills, photographs, drawings, scripts, and personal materials from the artists' archives are combined to re-create performances and video works, many of which have never been published before.

This extraordinary publication is distributed by the Whitney Museum of American Art, where it will be on display from October 29, 2021, to February 27, 2022. Following its New York exhibition, the collective's work will be showcased at the Institute of Contemporary Arts in Los Angeles from September 2022 to January 2023, allowing a broader audience to appreciate the profound impact of My Barbarian's theatrical art.

Weight: 1060g
Dimension: 210 x 300 x 20 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780300260120