The Standard

Ever made yourself cry for no reason? Now imagine making yourself cry for 365 days n a row. If you think it’s impossible, check out Laurel Nakadate’s experimental emotional art project entitled 365 Days: A Catalogue of Tears opening this Saturday, May 7th. We wrote about Laurel on her previous project when The Standard screened her video project, as part of our 24/7 Projections in Downtown LA and Hollywood. 

(December 19, 2010 from 365 Days: A Catalogue of Tears, 2011)

The exhibit 365 Days: A Catalogue of Tears is a series of photographs documenting a performance by Laurel Nakadate, in which she photographed herself before, during and after weeping each day from January 1st through December 31st, 2010. Three hundred sixty-five color photographs measuring 8-1/2 x 11 inches each will be installed in the main gallery of LESLIE TONKONOW Artworks + Projects. The exhibition will also include Nakadate’s newest video piece, a gothic mystery entitled Lost Party Guest (2011).

During the past decade, Laurel Nakadate has become internationally known for provocative works in video, film, performance and photography. Complex and often unsettling, they challenge conventional perceptions of power, seduction, tenderness, trust, betrayal, narcissism and self-abnegation in psychosexual relationships.

Photographs by Laurel Nakadate are also currently on view at The Museum of Modern Art in Staging Action: Performance in Photography since 1960 (through May 9). Laurel Nakadate’s newest video work, Lost Party Guest, combines the simplicity of 1970s-style performance actions with the staging of the Grand Guignol. Set in the historic reception rooms of the Park Avenue Armory, the video was created with the assistance of the Art Production Fund, which is also currently sponsoring a presentation of Nakadate’s videos in their ongoing series at the Standard Hotels in Los Angeles.

The show runs from May 7 - June 25. Opening Reception is Saturday, May 7th, from 6:00 to 8:00 pm. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 10:00 am to 6:00 pm.

LESLIE TONKONOW Artworks + Projects is located at 535 West 22nd Street, 6th Floor New York, N.Y. 10011. Telephone is 212-255-8450.