Steffani Jemison with Garrett Gray: On Similitude

What can be conveyed through physical gestures and expressions but not in language? How can the exaggerated frown of a painted face or the dramatic twist of a torso be understood, if not through words? Steffani Jemison reflects on these questions in a performance that engages with the rich and various history of mime and the role of mimicry in addressing audiences and intimates.

In a companion performance to her video Sensus Plenior, on view in the 2019 Whitney Biennial, Jemison draws on the work of Étienne Decroux, who popularized mime in the mid-twentieth century and pitted physical movement against language. Jemison connects this history to mime ministry, which combines physical theater with gospel recordings and has become a fixture in churches with African-American congregations over the past two decades. Ultimately, Jemison asks: How we can use our bodies to amplify and extend the reach of speech?

Susan and John Hess Family Gallery and Theater

Tickets are required ($10 adults; $8 members, students, seniors, and visitors with a disability).











When: Fri., Sep. 13, 2019 at 7:30 pm
Where: Whitney Museum of American Art
99 Gansevoort St.
212-570-3600
Price: $10
Buy tickets/get more info now
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What can be conveyed through physical gestures and expressions but not in language? How can the exaggerated frown of a painted face or the dramatic twist of a torso be understood, if not through words? Steffani Jemison reflects on these questions in a performance that engages with the rich and various history of mime and the role of mimicry in addressing audiences and intimates.

In a companion performance to her video Sensus Plenior, on view in the 2019 Whitney Biennial, Jemison draws on the work of Étienne Decroux, who popularized mime in the mid-twentieth century and pitted physical movement against language. Jemison connects this history to mime ministry, which combines physical theater with gospel recordings and has become a fixture in churches with African-American congregations over the past two decades. Ultimately, Jemison asks: How we can use our bodies to amplify and extend the reach of speech?

Susan and John Hess Family Gallery and Theater

Tickets are required ($10 adults; $8 members, students, seniors, and visitors with a disability).

Buy tickets/get more info now