BODY FREEDOM FOR EVERY(BODY)
Times Square Arts is joining forces with Project for Empty Space to kick off the BODY FREEDOM FOR EVERY(BODY) cross-country tour and traveling exhibition of over 100+ rotating artworks housed inside of a 27-foot box truck advocating for Trans Rights, LGBTQ+ Liberation and Queer Joy.
Wrapped in a text-based Barbara Kruger design featuring her iconic phrase “Your Body Is A Battleground,” the Body Freedom Truck will play host to celebratory and interactive events that include Truck Talks, workshops, resource fairs, and live performances.
To mark the beginning of this national tour, join us in Times Square on September 4th and 5th for a special lineup of free public programming including an opening night dance party with back to back sets by Pauli Cakes, DOLLNXTDOOR, and Princess Peggie and a protest sign making workshop with Christen Clifford.
On the road to broadening awareness of the right to safe, legal, and accessible health care, the BODY FREEDOM FOR EVERY(BODY) traveling exhibition is a celebration of bodily autonomy that positions art and artists at the forefront of critical dialogue and political advocacy.
BODY FREEDOM FOR EVERY(BODY) in Times Square is presented in partnership with The Armory Show as a part of Armory Off-Site, the fair’s outdoor art program featuring large-scale artworks across New York City’s parks and public spaces. After the kick-off festivities in Times Square, the Body Freedom Truck will stop at NYU on September 6-8 before heading to Newark, NJ. Check the tour stop schedule below to see if the Body Freedom Truck is coming to a city near you!
BODY FREEDOM FOR EVERY(BODY) in Times Square
Wednesday, September 4
12pm: Body Freedom Truck Unveiling
- Featuring a live performance by Resistance Revival Choir
5-8pm: Opening Night Dance Party
- Featuring b2b DJ sets by Pauli Cakes, DOLLNXTDOOR, and Princess Peggie
Thursday, September 5
12-6pm: Body Freedom Truck Open
2-5pm: Signal Celebration: A Signmaking Workshop for Bodily Autonomy with artist Christen Clifford
2-6pm: Voter Registration with Headcount
Artists Showing In NYC Sept 4-5, 2024: Adama Delphine Fawundu, Aimee Koran, Alannah Farrell, Amaryllis R. Flowers, Ameya Okamoto, Ana Mendieta, Andrea Bowers, Anindita Dutta, Ashima Yadava, Barbara Kruger, Baseera Khan, Bhasha Chakrabarti, Carlos Hernandez, Carmen Winant, Caroline Sinders, Chitra Ganesh, Chloë Bass, Christen Clifford, Chris E Vargas, Coyote Park, Damien Davis, David Antonio Cruz, Demian Dinéyazhi’, Dread Scott, Eric Hart Jr, Erin Riley, Felipe Baeza, Helina Metaferia, Jay Michelle Elizondo, Jesse Mockrin, Jonathan Lovett, Kambui Olujimi, Katrina Majkut, Laurie Simmons, LJ ROBERTS, Maddie Provost, Marilyn Minter, Michele Pred, Mickalene Thomas, Naudline Pierre, Nina Osoria Ahmadi, Noormah Jamal, Portia Munson, Ridikkuluz, Robert Andy Coombs, Roopa Vasudeva, Ron Norsworthy, Rupy C. Tut, Ryan Mcginley, Shahzia Sikander, Terrell Villiers, Texas Isaiah, Thank God For Abortion & Viva Ruiz, Tuesday Smillie, Wardell Milan, and Yolanda Hoskey.
BODY FREEDOM FOR EVERY(BODY) Tour Schedule
- Times Square, NYC: September 4-5
- New York University: September 6-8
- Newark, New Jersey: September 9-10
- Washington, D.C: September 12-14
- Iowa City, Iowa: September 17 - 20
- Kansas City, Kansas: September 21
- Los Angeles, California: September 27-28
- San Francisco, California: October 15
- Tempe, Arizona: October 16-19
- Austin, Texas: October 30 - November 2
- Houston, Texas: November 7-9
- West Palm Beach, Florida: November 14-16
- Miami, Florida: December 3-10
About Project for Empty Space
Project for Empty Space (PES) is a multifaceted arts organization that includes Exhibitions, Artists Residencies, Public Art initiatives, subsidized Artist Studios, and Artist Professional Development/Granting opportunities.. Our programs lean social discourse, including narratives that have been historically and systemically erased. We strive to course correct historic instances of forced marginality, in-equity, and in-visibility. Today, in our efforts to support socially-oriented artists, we maintain a commitment to holding space for both looking back and looking to new potentials and futures.
PES is a woman-run, femme-powered, People of the Global Majority/BIPOC, Queer, and unapologetically Intersectional organization. Our permanent homes are in Newark, NJ, and Chinatown, New York City.
About Pauli Cakes (@pauli.cakes on IG)
Pauli Cakes, (they/them) stands as a dynamic sound curator renowned for fostering unity and movement within New York City's underground Queer Rave Scene. This multifaceted artist, serving as a DJ, community organizer, spirit raiser, performing artist, 1/2 of music duo Opium Angel and founder of collectives Discakes and xCAKES, has become an indelible presence in the vibrant tapestry of New York's cultural landscape Their immersive sets are hailed as a Spirit Raising Journey Through Sound, reflecting a high-energy, genre-bending experience infused with sonic eclecticism. Pauli passionately believes in transcending limitations and rejecting binaries through the transformative power of music, communal spirit, and creative expression.
About DOLLNXTDOOR (@dollnxtdoor)
Tivali Thomas aka DOLLNXTDOOR, (she/her) is an internationally recognized poet, performer and DJ, creating music, literature and art that celebrates and interrogates the Black Trans experience. Her goal is to use sound, performance and literature to create a vacuum of love and immersion. She uses her DJ sets as a medium to communicate her deep love and appreciation for black queer influence on art and music.
About Princess Peggie (@princesspeggie)
Princess Peggie delivers an array of hardcore sets and diverse musicality. Their sound represents the relentless pace of the underground club scene, with an understanding of dance music that makes the contemporary timeless and their crowds breathless.
About Christen Clifford
Christen Clifford is a trans disciplinary artist whose work centers body politics and collective healing. Clifford’s work has been seen at Project for Empty Space, The Brooklyn Museum, The New Museum, Lyman Allyn Museum, The Newark Museum of the Arts,The Museum of Motherhood, The Momentary, LACE, and Panoply Performance Lab. She is working on her first film, an autobiographical documentary about her experiences with ovarian, uterine, and breast cancers. Her risograph art book about maternal sexuality, BabyLove, was produced with PES and acquired by The Thomas J. Watson Library at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About HeadCount
HeadCount is a non-partisan non-profit organization that harnesses the power of music, culture and digital media to register voters and inspire participation in democracy. Since 2004, we’ve registered over one million voters through our work with musicians like Ariana Grande, Harry Styles, Lizzo, Dead & Co, Billie Eilish and Alicia Keys; organizations such as Global Citizen; events including Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo, pride festivals and RuPaul’s DragCon; plus partnerships with brands like Spotify, Major League Baseball and American Eagle. Our award-winning online campaigns have been seen over a billion times, while our 50,000 volunteers can be seen at more than 1,500 live events each year. We reach young people where they already are – at concerts and online – to inform and empower.