On view in the central corridors of Dia Beacon and centered around the recent acquisition of Rita McBride’s Arena (1997)—a modular sculpture that is activated by the presence of audiences and performers alike—this exhibition explores the artist’s longstanding interest in architecture, design, and sculpture as they relate to the public sphere in forms such as seating structures, guidance systems, and commercial awnings. As McBride explains, Arena is “an ongoing investigation into the ways in which exhibition space, sculpture, and audience communicate and engage.” Arena is meant to be looked at, sat on, and engaged by visitors in an open, ongoing process that is punctuated by choreographed performances. At Dia Beacon these will consist of a performance series, Momentum, developed in collaboration with the artist, choreographer Alexandra Waierstall, and the experimental collective discoteca flaming star. 

Rita McBride is organized by Alexis Lowry, curator, Dia Art Foundation.

All exhibitions at Dia are made possible by the Economou Exhibition Fund.

Rita McBride was born in Des Moines in 1960. She currently lives and works in Los Angeles and Düsseldorf.

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