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LV W C U LT U R E 9 . 2 4 . 2 0
EXPLORING THE ‘MIRAGE’ London Biennale Las Vegas marks 10 years with a virtual festival of art based on our current masked moment
BY C. MOON REED
A
n unseen musician plucks a cello in a halting, haunting melody as a seemingly drunken cameraperson flits between images of the Mojave desert at sunrise and artist Brent Holmes dressed as a pantsless cowboy. He stands alone, among the brush and distant mountains, smokes a cigar, eats a peach and dances. In time with the music, handwritten phrases appear on the screen, such as “A gluttony unfulfilled” and “a denless coyote.” Watching Holmes’ video performance piece “Abraxes” is like watching a poem come to life.
“Abraxes” is just one of the many works on display in the virtual version of the London Biennale Las Vegas performance art festival— marking the 10th anniversary of the event’s Las Vegas debut. It’s coordinated by artists Jevijoe Vitug, JK Russ, Matthew Couper and Laurence Myers Reese. The London Biennale was created in 1998 by Filipinio artist David Medalla, with the goal of creating a more inclusive art event. When the London location was determined to be in and of itself exclusive, the event invited artists to participate in satellite cities.
Previous local iterations, in 2010, 2012 and 2014, were enthusiastic community affairs, gathering places for Las Vegas artists and fans. Due to COVID-19 precautions, the 2020 Las Vegas event is completely different. Instead of going somewhere physical to experience live art, viewers visit a website—londonbiennale2020.couperruss.com—to consume videos, GIFs and photos by the participating artists. Organizers decided upon the event’s theme a year ago, yet it speaks directly to the current world: Masks, Mirages & the Morphic Mirror. The concept of the mask—those literal
