SSSSSSSSSSSS (hiss it, don't say it)

An imaginary beast, half object, half human

Ieva Misevičiūtė calls herself ‘a former Lithuanian clown engaged in unproductive gymnastics’. Her field of operations extends from theatres to galleries to the streets of New York. SSSSSSSSSSSS is a solo about survival instincts based on Butoh techniques, performed in the public space.

“When I create a piece, I study things, objects and people. From this I make a kind of imaginary beast, half object, half human”, she says. For SSSSSSSSSSSS, she puts wasps, bees, scorpions, measuring instruments and absent-minded pedestrians under the microscope. Initially, Misevičiūtė looks like one of those street artists who pretend to be statues, but the meticulous movements of her living sculpture gradually evolve into a choreography.

• The Lithuanian artist Ieva Misevičiūtė lives and works in New York. After an early career as a circus clown, she immersed herself in physical theatre, dance, stand-up comedy and visual art. She has made a name for herself all over the world with performances at dOCUMENTA, Performa, Centre Pompidou and MoMa. She also co-curated the Baltic Triennial of International Art and Alligators! at the Amsterdam arts centre de Appel.