About the Event
Negative Ecstasies is a sculptural composition for six vocalists by Chicago-based artist Micah Schippa. The work is built around motifs of labor, despair, capitalism, and the way these systems stress the subjects they encounter. Configured in response to the interior floor plan of the MCA, the score is based on the history and architecture of The Midland Building (“The Great Central Market”), the suicidal poetry of Foxconn factory worker Xu Lizhi, and historic coal mining labor songs. Intermittently occurring throughout museum hours (at 10–11:30 am, 1:30–3 pm, 3:30–5 pm), the performance takes place across the museum’s public spaces, including the restrooms, stairwells, elevators, Kovler Atrium, and fourth-floor lobby.
This performance is part of the museum’s In Progress series and is organized by Iris Colburn, Curatorial Associate, and Jack Schneider, Assistant Curator.
About the Artist
Micah Schippa is an artist, writer, and musician based in Chicago. They have recently shown their work at Murmurs, Los Angeles; Pina, Vienna; and Salzburger Kunstverein, Salzburg; with upcoming solo exhibitions at Romance, Pittsburgh; and Pinacoteca, Vienna.
