“[Arca’s work] interrogates all kinds of boundaries: of the physical body, of migrant identity, of biological conceptions of gender, rendered in part by blurring the line between flesh and technology.”
—The New York Times
“[Arca is] at the forefront of a movement that has
pushed the boundaries of the pop music landscape …[with] boundary-defying music.”
—NPR
Arca (the pseudonym of shape-shifting artist, singer, DJ, performer, and composer Alejandra Ghersi) has made her indelible mark by developing a transcendent, transgressive body of work that has collapsed long-standing barriers between artist and art, human and technology, avant-garde and pop, and many disciplines from music to visual art to fashion and beyond. Whether it be on a growing list of discography credits including Lady Gaga, Laurie Anderson, Björk, Frank Ocean, and FKA twigs, or appearing in fashion shows and campaigns for Calvin Klein, Balmain, Loewe, and Bottega Veneta, her creative evolution has elevated her from an icon of the experimental fringe into a full-blown cultural phenomenon.
Directed by Arca, Mutant;Destrudo congregates her close friends and collaborators around a shared vision of creating space to allow for deconstruction of preconceptions. This ambitious new project is steeped in electronic music sound design to induce various states of embodied physicality and synthesize new ways to mediate both the ego and identity at large. The resulting Armory commission continues her ongoing practice of creating instances which merge all forms of creative practice, reexamining the ritual of the concert as a moment of heightened connection between those present.
Related Event
Making Space at the Armory: Corpus Delicti
Saturday, October 14, 2023, 12:00pm–6:00pm
Day Pass: $45 (plus fees)
At a moment of maximum anxiety and backlash over the fundamental human rights to autonomy, expressivity, modification, and self-transformation of the body, this convening of artists, activists, and intellectuals imagines and enacts transgender art and music as a vehicle for dialogue across differences.
World Premiere
A Park Avenue Armory Commission
Arca, Performer and Director
Daito Manabe, Guest Artist & Performer, Rhizomatiks, Custom A/V tech
4DSOUND – Salvador Breed and Poul Holleman, Spatial Sound Design and Custom Software
Mutant;Destrudo is supported, in part, with public funds from the National Endowment for the Arts. Public support is also provided by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature as well as the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.
Photo: Unax LaFuente
October 11–15, 2023
Wednesday, October 11–
Sunday, October 15, 2023
General Admission: $60 (plus fees)
Members: $54 (plus fees)
Wednesday–Friday at 8:00pm
Sunday at 6:00pm
Doors open 1 hour prior to the performance.
Wade Thompson Drill Hall
This performance is approximately 2 hours with no intermission. Please note that this event is general admission and audience members will be standing for the entire length of the show.
Health and Safety Protocols
Masks are optional. To view additional COVID-19 Policies, please visit our FAQs page.
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