Taryn Simon: An Occupation of Loss

Taryn Simon is an enigmatic and groundbreaking artist working in photography, video, text, sculpture, and performance. Her practice involves rigorous research and investigation into the power and structure of secrecy and the precarious nature of survival. Often highlighting moments of collapse in authority and seemingly functional systems, she underscores our operational and emotional vulnerabilities.

Simon continues to challenge the limits of this exploration in a new work that blurs the lines between audience, performer, performance, and reality. Commissioned and produced by the Armory, Simon directs and designs a performance that is self-orchestrated by the audience through their collective presence, absence, and movement throughout the space. Within a monumental sculptural setting, the work blends performance, sound, and architecture, mapping the ways in which grief is programmed.

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website.