Andrea Fraser
Official Welcome, 2001/03

Artist
Andrea Fraser

Title
Official Welcome

Year of creation
2001/03

Technology and duration
DVD and beta tape, 30 minutes

Year of acquisition
2006

Acquisition of the foundation

Andrea Fraser's performance works are challenging and questioning - they often tend to the provocative extreme. While you can find the works of traditional artists in the exhibition itself, Andrea Fraser is interested in what goes on behind the scenes in the art world. In her performances, Fraser repeatedly pushes the boundaries of conventional conventions.

In "Official Welcome" from 2001/2003 you see her in a situation that is not initially recognizable as an art performance: in a black dress she appears on stage in front of an audience and approaches a white lectern. Behind her, a series of images play on a screen. Andrea Fraser begins with a speech that, over time, turns out to be composed of several speeches and as many speakers. As she speaks, she gradually removes all of her clothing without comment until she puts the dress back on again at the end of the performance, shortly before leaving the stage. By processing the statements of various artists, critics and patrons in this way, Fraser parodies them. The performance was commissioned by the MICA (Maryland Institute College of Art) Foundation, but the performance is designed for different performance venues.

Every year, according to the MICA Foundation's program, a major project is funded, which is then presented in the house of Barbara and Howard Morse, the founders of MICA, in New York. With “Official Welcome” the presentation of the project became the actual work of art. As a result, the video actually welcomes the viewer - into the sharp, biting, satirical world of Fraser's performance art, with which she has kept the art scene in suspense for over two decades.