MPA (b. 1980) has explored a range of meditative, durational, theatrical and actionist modes of performance to engage “the energetic” as a potential material in live work. Enriched with ritual and theatricality, her performances and installations critically examine behaviors of power. She has posed questions about the global arms race, patriarchy as governance, life on another planet, and the dysfunctional union of art with capitalist commodity.
MPA’s work has been widely exhibited, including the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, Whitney Museum of American Art, Hammer Museum, Stedelijek Museum, and Museo de Arte Contemporâneo de Oaxaca. A frequent collaborator, MPA is a visible muse for many contemporary photographers, painters, and filmmakers. She has been a visiting professor at the California Institute of the Arts and UCLA.