Shelley Lasica WHEN I AM NOT THERE

Melbourne artist Shelley Lasica has experimented with the possibilities of choreography and dance for over four decades. Her work, which is often made in close collaboration with visual artists, composers, designers, architects and writers, has been presented in contexts many and varied – from galleries and museums to theatres, outdoor spaces, nightclubs and sports halls.

WHEN I AM NOT THERE is a performance–exhibition with choreography, costumes, paintings, sculpture, videos, texts and soundscapes that extend from her archive of past works. Performed by eight dancers, including Lasica, this dynamic new work sees dancers and objects in constant dialogue with each other.

Taking place over two weeks for the duration of the Art Gallery of New South Wales’ opening hours, WHEN I AM NOT THERE  offers visitors a new encounter each day. You can drop by the galleries at any time to watch the work unfold.

Questioning what it means ‘to perform’ and ‘to exhibit’, WHEN I AM NOT THERE continues Lasica’s interest in the relationship between dance and the museum space. It explores the ways in which choreography interacts with other artistic disciplines and how creative relationships and ideas accumulate across an art practice.

WHEN I AM NOT THERE 2022 has been co-commissioned by the Art Gallery of New South Wales and Monash University Museum of Art, Melbourne, and supported by the Australian Government through the Australian Research Council and the Art Gallery of New South Wales support partner Atelier. It is also supported by the NSW Government through the Culture Up Late Program.

It is part of Precarious Movements: Choreography and the Museum, an Australian Research Council Linkage Project hosted by The University of New South Wales, in partnership with the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Monash University Museum of Art, National Gallery of Victoria, Tate UK and Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts.