MORTAL KOMBAT:
Ariana Reines and Jim Fletcher
with Edley ODowd

Robert J. Hurst Family Gallery (Lower Gallery)

Doors open at 11:45pm, performance at midnight.

Inspired by a diverse range of movement styles, including Kathakali, krumping, and kung fu, as well as Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf and Scorpion, the undead ninja from the beloved 1992 video game, MORTAL KOMBAT contains real violence and is recommended for mature audiences. Drawn from the stock motions and precise, unflinching attacks of the early ’90s arcade game, MORTAL KOMBAT presents a mismatched physical confrontation between poet and artist Ariana Reines and actor and writer Jim Fletcher, accompanied by Edley ODowd.

Born on the same day, October 24, in different years, Reines and Fletcher will undertake this game as ersatz twins—but, as in the case of Romulus and Remus among so many other sets of brothers, theirs is also a fight to the death. Edley ODowd, who also shares the same birthday, joins Reines and Fletcher to provide a sonic element to the performance.

Ariana Reines was born in Salem, Massachusetts. Her books include The Cow (Alberta Prize, 2006), Coeur de Lion (2007), Mercury (2011), Thursday (2012), and The Origin of the World, written for Semiotext(e)'s contribution to the 2014 Whitney Biennial.  Her first play, TELEPHONE (2009), inspired by Avital Ronell's The Telephone Book, was commissioned & produced by The Foundry Theatre, winning two OBIES. Other performances and theatrical works include THE ORIGIN OF THE WORLD at Stuart Shave Modern Art (2013), LORNA, with Jim Fletcher, at the Martin E. Segal Theatre (2013); MISS ST’S HIEROGLYPHIC SUFFERING at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (2009); and SWISSNESS at The Swiss Institute (2012).

Jim Fletcher is a longtime member of New York City Players theater company with Richard Maxwell, and has performed with Sarah Michelson, The Wooster Group, and Elevator Repair Service.  With Ariana Reines he wrote and performed in LORNA, a butoh play, at CUNY in spring of 2013.

Edley ODowd is a percussionist and artist residing in New York City. He has performed around the world and has worked with artists such as Genesis Breyer P-Orridge, Tony Conrad, and Deborah Harry. He has won numerous awards for his achievements in graphic design. In his latest project, ODowd has been producing, performing, and designing for the recording label Angry Love Productions, which is dedicated to releasing music in limited-edition packaging.

MORTAL KOMBAT was developed through a commission to Ariana Reines from Le Mouvement Biel/Bienne in Switzerland and a residency with Jim Fletcher at Gallery TPW in Toronto in 2014.

Please note: this event takes place on Thursday evening, after Museum Hours. Jeff Koons: A Retrospective will not be available for viewing during these performances.

Free admission on a first-come, first-served basis until capacity is reached. Seating and standing room available.