NYABF Celebration with Maria Chávez

April 27, 2024

7:30 to 9:30 PM

In celebration of Printed Matter’s NY Art Book Fair, ISLAA is pleased to present a special two-hour performance by Peruvian abstract turntablist and sound artist Maria Chávez, responding to our current exhibition Threads to the South.

The evening will begin with a tapestry of sound through a curated selection of abstract and experimental music from the home countries of artists featured in Threads to the South. At 8:30 PM, Chávez will present a turntable performance highlighting analog audio's sculptural materiality.

We invite you to join us for the performance and view Threads to the South during these special late night hours at ISLAA. 

This event is free, but advance registration is required. RSVP

Maria Chávez

Born in Lima, Peru and based in NYC, Maria Chávez is best known as an abstract turntablist, sound artist, and DJ. Coincidence, chance, and failures are themes that unite her work across mediums, including improvised performance, sound and marble sculpture, visual art, and book objects. Her approach is rooted in Deep Listening, a form of embodied listening developed by her late mentor Pauline Oliveros.

Chávez is the only abstract turntablist in the world who performs with a rare needle known as the RAKE Double Needle. This special device contains two needles on one head, allowing it to read two different segments of a single record at the same time. Paired with her inimitable ability to create unforgettable sonic experiences from shards of broken records, each performance is truly unique.

Chávez’s practice is profoundly expansive, responsive and curious. Her work has been featured and supported by a myriad of institutions over the past decades including Rewire Festival, Counterflows Festival, Donau Festival, The Guggenheim Museum, The Getty, The Wire, MOCA Jacksonville, Black Mountain College Museum, and many, many more. Chávez’s 2012 book Of Technique: Chance Procedures on Turntable has garnered a reputation as both an academic resource on turntablism and a foundational text for a new generation of turntablists.