Maia Chao's performance "Being Moved" took place on the 7th floor of the Whitney Museum of American Art as part of the Whitney Biennial. Audience members rode a crowded, noisy elevator to the gallery, where performers mimicked distracted museum visitors—sneezing, chatting, taking photos, and ignoring the art. Choreography by Lena Engelstein featured gestures like scratching, tying shoes, and picking wedgies, with standout physical comedy by dancer James Barrett. Chao also installed text scores on the Biennial floor, inviting viewers to interact with the museum space.
This review matters because it critiques how contemporary performance art engages with the museum environment and audience behavior, questioning the effectiveness of Chao's piece in a Biennial context. The work highlights tensions between distraction and attention in art viewing, and the review's mixed assessment—praising Barrett's performance while finding much of the piece derivative—offers insight into current debates about the Whitney Biennial's curatorial choices and the role of participatory art.