I reached out to Shaw and Gale to learn more about the exhibition. “PRIVATE DANCER” is curated by Cameron Shaw, CAAM’s deputy director and chief curator. The museum is still closed and, although the work is installed, it remains unseen.
“Nikita Gale: PRIVATE DANCER” was scheduled to officially open to the public five days later on March 18. “Audiencing” considered “the role of the audience as a social arena, taking on formal aspects of spectacle found in live music and political speeches.”ĬAAM temporarily closed on March 13 to stem the spread of the COVID-19 virus.
In February at MoMA PS1, Gale presented “Audiencing,” a series of performances overlapping in concept with the CAAM installation. She made a decision to stop working and in effect step away from the rules of engagement for what I think is a very fraught relationship between audiences and performers that many performers don’t survive.” “Tina is kind of a north star for me, because she retired. “She made a decision to stop working and in effect step away from the rules of engagement for what I think is a very fraught relationship between audiences and performers that many performers don’t survive.” “Tina is kind of a north star for me, because she retired,” Gale told Culture Type. Her life story has been adapted for stage into hit Broadway musical. She retired a decade ago, but audiences are still clamoring for more. She was celebrated for her dynamic stage presence, powerful vocals, and energetic dance performances, even as she continued touring in her 60s. “Private Dancer” was a landmark for Turner, an award-winning chart-topping album that transformed her from an R&B diva into a pop icon with an even wider following. Los Angeles-based Gale said the installation is about refusal, presence, and visibility. The exhibition description explains the artist’s concept: “By isolating the visual language of live performance in the gallery and separating it from the expectation of audio, Gale creates an uncanny experience that serves as a meditation on the limits of the body, the demands of celebrity, and silence as a political position.” Composed of theatrical trusses and lighting, the work pays homage to Tina Turner’s 1984 album “Private Dancer.” Gale has invoked Turner for six years and in this work the title song serves as an unheard soundtrack, the rhythm to which the lights “dance,” flashing on and off. THE FIRST SOLO MUSEUM EXHIBITION of Nikita Gale is an abstract sculptural installation at the California African American Museum (CAAM) in Los Angeles.