Ligia Lewis. study now steady

The live exhibition “study now steady” is the first solo presentation in Germany of artist and choreographer Ligia Lewis. Born in 1983 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Lewis lives and works in Berlin since 2013. Her choreographic practice spans film, live installation, and performance, with a core focus on the social inscription of the body—exploring how race, gender, and history shape experience and perception, particularly through the lens of Black bodies in the present.

The three recent works on view (2020–2023) challenge the notion of the body as neutral, revealing its profound entanglement with politics, power, and colonial legacies. These works unfold through movement—at times laced with humour, and veering towards absurdity, to provoke reflection on how we see one another. Rather than seeking inclusion, Lewis questions the structure that conditions the perception and interpretation of Black representation. Her work critiques the institutional and social frameworks that continue to shape the presence (and the absence) of Black histories.

Informed by her Caribbean heritage – family history and personal memory, Lewis draws upon the historical racial politics of the Caribbean and the Western world while engaging her interests in experimental formats. Working across theatre stage and art museum contexts, Lewis offers layered and affective live work that resonates both politically and aesthetically.

This exhibition continues our exploration into liveness in contemporary practices, and creating dialogues between the solo presentations of artists on view: Shu Lea Cheang, Philippe Parreno and Pussy Riot, connecting formats experimented at our annual live exhibition series ECHOES. The discourse on decolonisation is an anchoring theme, will be further explored by artist nora chipaumire this October.

Admission to the exhibition is free.

Curated by Xue Tan and Marlene Mützel.

“Ligia Lewis. study now steady” is presented by Haus der Kunst in cooperation with International DANCE Festival München.

Ligia Lewis’s performance deader than dead opens International DANCE Festival München at 7.30 pm on 22 & 23.5.25. The installation study now steady has its European Premiere on 24.5.25 at 4 pm and is live following the schedule: 24 – 31.5.25 from 4 – 7 pm, except 25.5.25 from 2 – 5 pm. The full schedule can be found in the calendar.

As part of the exhibition and the International DANCE Festival München, further presentations will take place at Haus der Kunst. The performance of Jefta van Dinther and the presentation of the AKADEMIE students during our monthly Open Haus on 30.5.25 are at the heart of our vision of bringing together practitioners of visual arts, dance, and music across generations. We are delighted to implement this programmes to support younger generations and in close collaboration with our partner International DANCE Festival München. Next up, we are looking forward to the “ars viva” exhibition in June and “dambudzo” by artist nora chipaumire in collaboration with the SPIELART Theater Festival in October.

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