About
Michael Portnoy (b. 1971, Washington, DC, USA) is a New York-based artist. Coming from a background in dance and stand-up comedy, his performance-based work employs a variety of media: from participatory installations to film, sculpture, theater, writing and curation.
Portnoy is largely concerned with manipulating language and behavior as a tool for world-bending – either in his "Relational Stalinist" game structures in which confusion, complication, and ambiguity are used to stretch participants' speech and movement; or his quest to "improve" existing breeds of art through re-engineering.
He has presented internationally in museums, art galleries, theatres and music halls, including recently Steirischer Herbst, Graz, Austria (2023, 2019, 2018); Witte de With, Rotterdam, the Netherlands (2016); the Centre Pompidou, Paris, France (2015); Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, the Netherlands (2014); Cricoteka, Krakow, Poland (2014); Palais de Tokyo, Paris, France (2013); KW Institute for Contemporary Art, Berlin, Germany (2013); The Kitchen, New York, USA (2013); dOCUMENTA 13, Kassel, Germany (2012); 11th Baltic Triennial (co-curator), Vilnius, Lithuania (2012); and the Taipei Biennial, Taipei, Taiwan (2010).
Curriculum vitaeSelected exhibitions & activities
Solo exhibitions & performances
2023
- The Society of Societies, Steirischer Herbst, Graz, Austria
- Progressive Touch, The Emily Harvey Foundation, NY
2020
- Progressive Touch, Vleeshal Center for Contemporary Art, Middelburg, Netherlands
- URGENT, Wilfried Lentz, Rotterdam
2019
- Progressive Touch, commissioned by Steirischer Herbst, Graz, Austria
- Portnoy (born 1936) Improvises, Hauser & Wirth, NY; FIAC, Paris, Block Universe, London
2018
- Touching on Everything, commissioned by Steirischer Herbst, Graz, Austria
- WRIXLING.COM, online project, commissioned by CAC Vilnius with CORPUS
2017
- Character Assassination, Akademie der Künste der Welte, Cologne, Germany
- Progressive Touch - Total Body Language Reprogramming, KW Berlin, Germany
2016
- Relational Stalinism - The Musical, Witte de With, Rotterdam
2015
- 100 Big Entrances, Donaufestival, Austria
2014
- 100 Beautiful Jokes, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam
2013
- THRILLOCHROMES, Wilfred Lentz Rotterdam
- 27 Gnosis, Playground Festival, STUK, Leuven, Belgium
- 27 Gnosis, The Kitchen, NY
2012
- I'm back fore ground!, IBID PROJECTS, London
- Alligators! Experimental Comedy Club, Beursschouwburg, Brussels, Belgium
2011
- Script Opposition in Late Model Carrot Jokes, Objectif Exhibitions, Antwerp & Wilfried Lentz Rotterdam
2010
- Alligators!, de Appel, Amsterdam, curated and directed by Michael Portnoy and Ieva Miseviciute
2009
- Human Intwist Group, Kunstverein, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- On se bat toujours quelque part, Le Confort Moderne, Poitiers, France
2008
- The Dudion Levers, Martos Gallery, New York, USA (with Oliver Sudden)
- Lend a Polt in the Put, IBID PROJECTS, London
- Casino Ilinx, Sculpture Center, New York, USA
2007
- Wandbiss, Art Unlimited 38 Basel, Basel, Switzerland. Presented by The Swiss Institute, New York
- Seminar in Subliminal Carnage – The 33 Holdmusic Variations, Performa 07, The Swiss Institute, New York, USA
- Talus, Dexter Sinister, New York, USA
- The Gutsongs of Xar, Tensta Konsthall, Stockholm, Sweden
- Piano Destruction Party, 159 Rivington, New York, USA
2006
- Necktie over the Atlantic (performance with Theodore Fivel), Migros Museum, Zurich, Switzerland
- The K Sound, The Kitchen, New York, USA
2005
- Strangergames, Kaaitheater, Brussels, Belgium
2004
- Shucking the What, The Kitchen, New York, USA
- Billy Joel Nose, chashama, New York, USA
2001
- Strangergames, P.S.1 Contemporary Art Centre, New York, USA 1998
- Soy Bomb, Radio City Music Hall, New York, USA
Group exhibitions & performances
2023
- It’s Weird, Shedhalle, Zurich, Switzerland
2021
- Une Exposition Mise En Scène, La Ferme du Buisson, Noisiel, France
- When Gondola Engines Were Taken to Bits, GES-2, Moscow
2018
- Objects Like Us, The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, CT, USA
2017
- A Choreographed Exhibition, CA2M, Madrid, Spain.
2016
- Liverpool Biennial, Liverpool, UK
2015
- Nouveau Festival, Centre Pompidou
2014
- Nothing Twice/Nic 2 Razy, Cricoteka, Krakow, Poland
- Father Can't You See I'm Burning, de Appel arts centre, Amsterdam
- Before Normal: Concept after Concept , Museum for Contemporary Art Roskilde, Denmark
- The Crime Was Almost Perfect, Witte de With Contemporary Art, Rotterdam
2013
- Nuit Blanche, Paris, France
- Jew York, Zach Feuer Gallery, NY
- Un Escalier d'Eau, Palais de Tokyo, Paris, France
- The Bet, KW Institute of Contemporary Art, Berlin, Germany
2012
- dOCUMENTA 13, Kassel, Germany
- 11th Baltic Triennial, co-curator, Vilnius, Lithuania
- Radical Languages, Cricoteca, Krakow, Poland
2010
- Clifford Irving Show, Objectif Exhibitions, Antwerp, Belgium
- Taipei Biennial 2010, Taipei, Taiwan
- The Prompt & Living Pictures, Transart Festival for Performa, Bolzano, Italy
- Une Forme Pour Toute Action, Le Printemps de Septembre, Toulouse, France
- Répétition Island , Centre Pompidou, Paris, France
- Macedonian Museum for Contemporary Art, Athens, Greece
2009
- This place you see has no size at all..., Kadist Art Foundation, Paris, France
- The Prompt, Kunstverein, New York, USA. Co-curator. Performa 09 Biennial
- Made in the USA at Pete’s Motors, Pete’s Motors Showrooms, Great Barrington, USA
- STRIP/STRIPE, Emily Harvey Foundation, New York
- Remap2, Athens, Greece
- Paper Exhibition, Artists Space, New York, USA
- Dr. Portnoy (screening), Sundance Film Festival, Park City, USA
2008
- One of These Things is Not Like the OtherThings, 1/9 Unosunove, Rome, Italy
- Word Event, Kunsthalle Basel, Basel, Switzerland
2007
- A Choreographed Exhibition, Kunsthalle St. Gallen, Switzerland.
- Chemical City, Deborah Colton Gallery, Houston, USA
- Speak Easy: Reading on the Rocks, SculptureCentre, New York, USA
- 5 on 5 is 5, Central House of Artists, 2nd Moscow Biennale, Russia.
2006
- The Invasionistas, Kling & Bang Gallery, Reykjavik, Iceland
- Deitch Gallery Art Parade 2006, New York, USA
- An Evening of Experimental Jokes (and other joke swills), Andrew Kreps Gallery, NY, USA
- Male Entertainment, Monkeytown, New York, USA
- Everything Beautiful and Noble Is the Result of Reason and Calculation, EFA Gallery, NY
2005
- Concrete Castle, Le Confort Moderne, Poitiers, France
- Deitch Gallery Art Parade 2005, New York, USA
- threeASFOUR Fashion Show, threeASFOUR, New York, USA
- Still Ill, Momenta Art, New York, USA
- Jump On Me, Bonner Kunstverein, Bonn, Germany.
2004
- Collision, Ace Gallery, New York, USA
- Shucking the What (prelude), Canada Gallery, New York, USA
- Domestic Porn, Galeria Fundacji Foksal, Warsaw, Poland
2003
- Secrets, Little Theatre at Tonic, New York, USA
- Professor Kiffy on Kitchen Jokes, Little Theatre at Tonic, New York, USA
2002
- The Yoghurt Boys, Bowery Pottery Club, New York, USA
- As Four Opera, Cooper Union Great Hall, New York, USA
2001
- Arse about Face, Jack Tilton Gallery, New York, USA
2000
- The Yoghurt Boys, Dumbo Arts Festival, New York, USA
- Tie-Off Fear Sleeves, Chashama, New York, USA
1999
- Bucket, (the working title), in collaboration with Claude Wampler. Triple X Festival, Amsterdam;
- Kaiitheater, Brussels; Victoria Festival, Ghent; P.S. 122, New York.
- Bunnipatchers, White Box, New York, USA
1998
- Bucket, (the working title), collaboration with Claude Wampler. National Festival of Live Art; Glasgow, Scotland. Downtown Arts Festival, New York, USA
- 24 Hours on the Staten Island Ferry, Staten Island Ferry, USA
- Eviannese Gesamtcuntsjerk, Audio Room, Vienna, Austria
- SONTAG, Movement Research, Judson Church, New York, USA
1997
- How’m I Doin’? HERE Gallery, New York, USA
- Moronmachine, P.S. 122, New York, USA
- Lepsies, St. Marks Church, Downtown Arts Festival, New York, USA
Education
- 1993 BA English Literature/Creative Writing, Vassar College, New York
Teaching & residencies
- EMPAC, Troy, NY – residency, 2014
- Confuse the Cat (residency leader), The Banff Centre Canada, 2014
- Visiting Lecturer in Visual Arts MFA Program, Malmö Art Academy, Malmö, Sweden, 2013-ongoing
- Sandberg Institute, Amsterdam, MFA workshop leader, 2013
- Experimental Comedy Training Camp (residency leader), The Banff Centre, Canada, 2012
- Goldsmiths, Art Writing MFA, London, workshop instructor, 2012
- Werkplaats Typografie, Arnhem, Netherlands, workshop instructor, 2010
- Bard College, NY, USA, MFA Faculty, 2009
- Yaddo, NY, USA – residency, 2005
- Visiting artist at Art Institute of Chicago, Harvard, Yale, Princeton, University of Chicago, HEAD (Geneva), Piet Zwart Institute (Rotterdam), School of Visual Arts, and New York University.