The acclaimed Brooklyn-based duo Okwui Okpokwasili and Peter Born will bring their experimental and formally inventive work to Dublin’s Irish Museum of Modern Art, promising a profound exploration of relation, memory, and the limits of attention.
The world of contemporary performance is set to witness a compelling new work as Sweat Variant, the collaborative powerhouse of Okwui Okpokwasili and Peter Born, prepares to present “my tongue is a blade.” This durational performance installation will unfold within the historic Baroque Chapel at the Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA) in Dublin, offering audiences a unique and immersive experience.
“my tongue is a blade” is conceived as a three-hour movement practice that delves into the intricate tapestries of relation, memory, and reflection. The piece poses a fundamental question: What are the limits of our attention, and how do these boundaries test the strength of our human bonds? Audiences will be invited to witness three performers—Okwui Okpokwasili herself, alongside Bria Bacon, recently seen in Sweat Variant’s “let slip, hold sway” at the Whitney Museum in New York City, and Dublin-based artist Alessandra Azeviche—as they commit to a profound act of mutual remembrance, support, and sustenance of the world they collectively inhabit. The performance promises a rich visual and sonic landscape, encouraging viewers to not just observe but to resonate within the unfolding practice.
This new work continues the exploration of embodied inheritance, a theme central to Sweat Variant’s celebrated pieces such as “let slip, hold sway” and the “adaku” trilogy. Characterized by a confluence of middles and beginnings but notably without a definitive end, “my tongue is a blade” features a movement that evolves and differentiates across the bodies of its performers.
Sweat Variant, the artistic union of Okwui Okpokwasili and Peter Born, has been a significant force at the intersection of dance, theater, and visual art since 1996. Their work is distinguished by its challenging and rigorous nature, often reaffirming marginalized perspectives as central through an intense exploration of Black interiority. Okpokwasili and Born are driven by the desire to construct a “spectacle of radical intimacy,” where the mutual gaze between performer and audience is acknowledged and explored. They craft gestural vocabularies and narrative frameworks that grapple with the complexities of memory and the inherent instability in constructing a persona. Their ultimate hope is to activate a space of wonderment, uncertainty, and mystery, allowing for a renewed perception of one another.
Okwui Okpokwasili is a highly acclaimed performing artist, choreographer, and writer. The daughter of Nigerian immigrants, raised in the Bronx, her personal histories and the narratives of the women inhabiting these spaces are prominent in her multidisciplinary pieces. Her experimental productions, including the Bessie Award-winning “Pent-up: A Revenge Dance” and “Bronx Gothic,” have garnered widespread recognition. Okpokwasili is the recipient of numerous prestigious awards, including a MacArthur Fellowship, a Doris Duke Artist Award, and a 2025 Art Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
Peter Born, working as a director, composer, and designer, is integral to Sweat Variant’s creative output. His collaborations with Okpokwasili have resulted in numerous acclaimed installations and performances, with their work appearing in esteemed venues such as the Berlin Biennale and the Tate Modern. Born’s artistic contributions have also earned multiple New York Dance Performance (Bessie) Awards.
The presentation of “my tongue is a blade” at IMMA is supported by the Sam Gilliam Foundation. This support coincides with IMMA’s landmark solo exhibition of the pioneering abstract artist Sam Gilliam (1933-2022), titled “Sam Gilliam: Sewing Fields,” marking the first such exhibition of his work in Ireland. The foundation carries forward Gilliam’s legacy by supporting visual artists who push boundaries and engage with pressing contemporary issues.
IMMA stands as Ireland’s National Cultural Institution for Modern and Contemporary Art. It boasts a diverse and ambitious program of exhibitions, commissions, and projects by leading Irish and international artists, alongside rich engagement and learning initiatives. Home to the National Collection of Modern and Contemporary Art, IMMA is situated at the Royal Hospital Kilmainham, one of Ireland’s most historic sites.
The performances of “my tongue is a blade” are scheduled to take place from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM on Saturday, June 14, and Sunday, June 15, 2025. This information was announced from New York on May 15, 2025.
