David Wojnarowicz & Ben Neill, ITSOFOMO (In the Shadow of Forward Motion)

Presented in dialogue with the exhibition "Remember Me", which features Peter Hujar’s iconic black-and-white portrait of American artist and activist David Wojnarowicz (1954–1992), the Bourse de Commerce presents ITSOFOMO, a multimedia performance created by Wojnarowicz in collaboration with composer Ben Neill.

Premiered in 1989 at The Kitchen, a landmark of New York’s experimental art scene, ITSOFOMO (In the Shadow of Forward Motion) confronts the escalating AIDS crisis and the political and cultural struggles that marked the United States at the time. Bringing together spoken word, video and live music, the work explores the experience of living in a world of relentless acceleration through an overwhelming flow of images and sounds. Moving between explosive intensity and moments of tenderness, ITSOFOMO creates fleeting spaces for reflection and introspection amid its unrelenting pace.

This presentation reunites the performance’s original musicians, composer Ben Neill and percussionist Don Yallech. While Wojnarowicz originally delivered his texts live on stage, his voice is now heard through archival recordings. Four of his videos, projected simultaneously, form a powerful visual counterpoint to Neill’s score, which moves between driving rhythms and atmospheric improvisations. The music combines percussion, electronics and the Mutantrumpet, Neill’s own invention, fusing a trumpet with electronic technology.

David Wojnarowicz (1954–1992) was an American artist and activist whose deeply personal and political practice spanned photography, painting, music, film, sculpture and writing. Largely self-taught, he became a prominent figure in New York’s art scene in the 1980s. His work addressed questions of identity, mortality, sexuality and social justice, often challenging the political and social structures of contemporary American society. He died in 1992 from an AIDS-related illness.

Ben Neill is a composer, musician and pioneer of live electronic performance. He is the inventor of the Mutantrumpet, a hybrid electroacoustic instrument that expands the expressive possibilities of the traditional trumpet through electronic and interactive technologies. His work blends ambient music, minimalism, improvisation and electronics, to create what he describes as "art music for everyone".