Referendum: Performance by Tania Bruguera

Tania Bruguera, Referendum, 2015. Performance in Union Square, NYC. [image description: close up of the led screen at night in Union Square Park, depicting an outline of all global countries in white on blue. the yes vote is 2667 and the no vote is 2686]

Sunday, March 6Union Square Park (Northside) from 10:00am to 8:00pmReferendum: Performance by Tania Bruguera

Tania Bruguera, Referendum, 2015. Performance in Union Square, NYC. [image description: a close of photograph in the late evening of a hand putting a ballot into a slot]

Referendum, 2015, (detail from Nuit Blanche, Toronto)

Artist Tania Bruguera will revisit her project Referendum, which was first staged in fall 2015 as part of Nuit Blanche in Toronto. The interactive performance functions as a public vote on questions surrounding immigration and borders, generally raising public awareness about the effects of borders on humankind in a time of unprecedented migration. Referendum is a companion piece to The Francis Effect (2014), a work currently on view in When Artists Speak Truth… that aims to change the perception of immigration and citizenship rights worldwide. Bruguera and her collaborators collected signatures on postcards that featured an image of the seven continents united, accompanied by the slogan “Dignity has no nationality,” which endorse Pope Francis’ supportive stance toward immigrants.