Hartwig Art Foundation announces European debut of Julien Creuzet’s latest performance, " Algorithm ocean true blood moves ." Co - commissioned by Performa and the Hartwig Foundation for the Performa 2023 Biennial in New York, Creuzet's most expansive performance to date will take place on June 29 - 30 in Amsterdam. Julien Creuzet Algorithm ocean true blood moves Photo: Maria Baranova - Suzuki Amsterdam, April 2, 2024 – Hartwig Art Foundation is thrilled to present the European premiere of Julien Creuzet’s latest performance "Algorithm ocean true blood moves." Currently representing France as part of the 60th International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia, Creuzet's work is known for retracing African Ancestry and commenting on French colonial history using digital avatars and the culture of the Caribbean. His work is biographical, personal and political, often incorporating poetry and performative aspects and music/song alongside his sculptural works. In his precarious yet exuberant sculptural environments, the Paris - based artist, filmmaker, and poet Julien Creuzet often delves into centuries - long histories of trade and displacement. His multimedia installations skillfully combine the debris of domestic and industrial life (plastic containers, electric cables, cellphones) with that of the natural world (soil, seashell, wood sticks) — and often, these sculptural ecosystems invoke his childhood home of Martinique, the French Caribbean island at the crossroads of African, European, and Native American civilizations. " Algorithm ocean true blood moves " focuses on the muscle memory of movements and gestures that have been passed down through generations of the African diaspora across time and geographies now interconnected through the digital realm. Over the years, Creuzet has created a personal archive of these movements from online content creators of African descent, revealing surprising parallels between disparate physical expressions, such as Sudanese clerics in ceremonial squatting and American teenagers "duck walki ng" in supermarkets. Collaborating with Brazilian choreographer Ana Pi, this performance features dancers from the Alvin Ailey School and unfolds to the rhythmic beats of Shatta, an emerging genre of electronic Caribbean dancehall music from Martinique. " Algorithm ocean true blood moves " translates these movements into a performance that transcends geographical and temporal boundaries, offering a profound exploration of interconnectedness. Beatrix Ruf, Director Hartwig Art Foundation, says: “ Algorithm ocean true blood” propels us into a pulsating visual and rhythmic journey, enveloping us within the intimate tapestry of memories, assumptions and relationships. Histories merge and undulate through the expanse of the ocean and within the ethereal archives of the internet, fates, times and experiences intertwine. Creuzet challenges conventional categorisations, particularly those tied to his own experiences, such as the African and Caribbean dia sporas, the significance of artistic and literary voices from these diasporas, the lasting effects of colonialism, and the ongoing struggle for equitable resource allocation." Algorithm ocean true blood moves will take place on June 29 & 30 in the newly opened Studio Boekman of the National Opera and Ballet in Amsterdam. The Amsterdam performances are presented by Hartwig Art Foundation in collaboration with Dutch National Opera. CREDITS Co - commissioned by Performa and the Hartwig Foundation for the Performa 2023 Biennial in New York. Kamani Abu, Sarah Boyd, Sydnie Cooper, Bette Danganan, DaJuan Foley Jr., Morgan Gregory, and Noel Olson (Performers); Natoxie (Music); Malou Beauvoir (Live music); Julien Creuzet (Concept, videos, sculptures, and costumes); Ana Pi (Choreography); Scarlett Chaumien (Julien Creuzet studio coordinator) with Chadine Amghar, Iris Fabre, and Louis Somveille (artis t collaborators); Emilien Colombier (Video motion designer); Timothée Sarran (Video sound Design); Charles Aubin (Centre Pompidou Jersey City Co - Director, formerly Performa Senior Curator and Head of Publications); Julia Simpson (Performa Biennial 2023 Sen ior Producer) and Josie Bettman (Performa Biennial 2023 Associate Producer). ABOUT JULIEN CREUZET Born in a Parisian suburb in 1986, Creuzet grew up in Martinique and now resides and works in Paris. His artistry centers on his personal experiences within the Caribbean diaspora, while also illuminating broader social realities of the diaspora, particula rly the intricate interplay between Caribbean histories and European modernity. Martinique, he explains, serves as "the epicenter of my creative imagination," with his installations blending visual and auditory elements through a process of creolisation. T hemes of emancipation and Black affirmation resonate throughout his work, which often features repurposed materials — relics either washed ashore by oceans or remnants of historical progression. Creuzet's artistic practice begins with his own lived experience of the Caribbean diaspora, where Martinique holds profound significance as a source of inspiration. The visual and aural languages that collide in his installations migrate and transform thro ugh a process of creolisation, entering into a dialogue with the questions of Black Affirmation and emancipation. He developed a multi - disciplinary practice interweaving poetic, sensory and social forms via amalgams of sculpture, installation, video, sound and textual intervention. Recent solo exhibitions include LUMA Westbau in Zürich (2023), the LUMA Foundation in Arles (2022), the Camden Arts Centre in London (2021), as well as the CAN Centre d’art Neuchâtel and Palais De Tokyo, Paris, both in 2019. Creuzet participated in Manifes ta 13 in Marseille (2020), the 35th edition of the São Paulo Art Biennale (2023) and will represent France at the upcoming 60th Venice Biennale (2024). In 2021, Creuzet was nominated for the Prix Marcel Duchamp, and in 2019 was the recipient of the Camde n Arts Centre Prize at Frieze London. ABOUT HARTWIG ART FOUNDATION Hartwig Art Foundation is dedicated to fostering and facilitating the production, presentation, mediation, preservation, and collection of contemporary art. In addition to its multiple activities in productions with artists and partnerships with a wide ran ge of institutions, Hartwig Art Foundation is currently developing a new museum for contemporary art in Amsterdam. For more information, please visit here Since 2023, Performa and Hartwig Art Foundation have been working together as part of a major institutional partnership. This partnership involves commissioning new performance works, expanding the Performa Archive, and implementing a fellowship programme that offers hands - on training for individuals working in the contemporary cross - media and performance field. For more information about the partnership, please visit here ABOUT PERFORMA Founded in 2004 by art historian and curator RoseLee Goldberg, Performa has expanded the possibilities for visual artists working in performance, providing essential curatorial and production support, and, with its dedicated biennial, providing a worldwide platform for performance of the 21st century. Performa Commissions have entirely changed the possibilities of the form and its educational programs have shown its rich history as an integral part of artistic practice, reaching back through the centuries t o the Renaissance. This visionary organization has entirely transformed every art institution’s approach to visual art performance, now a staple in art museums and galleries throughout the world. Since 2005, Performa has presented nine editions of its thre e - week international Performa Biennial that have animated every borough of New York City every other year. 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