Artist(s): Robert Longo
Date: April 13, 1985
A co-production with The Brooklyn Museum, Performance Works 1977-1985 coincided with Robert Longo’s installation Temple of Love in The Brooklyn Museum’s lobby. At The Kitchen, Longo presented two re-staged performances, Sound Distance of a Good Man (1977) and Surrender (1979), as well as one new work titled Empire: A Performance Trilogy (1981-82). Performers included Peggy Atkinson and Eric Barsness, with music by Joe Hannan. The three pieces dealt with themes that Longo was known for in his sculpture work, including mass media and spectacle. Incorporating music and film, the performances constructed scenes that invoked popular culture in order to produce moments in which the viewer could reflect upon their relationship to seductive imagery.