Art Cart NYC™ admires Performa’s biennial for its ability to occupy the entirety of New York City and capture the attention of its inhabitants for a nearly a whole month. It pushes the boundaries of (performance) art in all sorts of media and method, as well as the boundaries of public intervention. Contributor Sophie Cavoulacos shares her highlights from the 2011 event.

This November, the team at Performa has put on a remarkable three weeks of programming, staring off with a bang with Elmgreen & Dragset’s Happy Days in the Art World on November 1st and wrapping up with the Malcom McLaren Award last Monday, which was awarded to Ragnar Kjartansson. The fourth iteration of RoseLee Golberg’s biennial celebrated performance with commissions from both emerging and established artists, and has also been truly interdisciplinary in nature with music, film and visual arts abound. Between the Performa Hub at 233 Mott Street, home the Performa Institute’s programs, and collaborations all over the city - from Wu Tsang at the New Museum, Mika Rottenberg and Jon Kessler in Chelsea, Marina Ronsenfeld in Chinatown and many more - Performa has both embodied and revealed the synergy between the arts and the city. It’s impossible to make it to every performance and program (or if it is, that person deserves a prize) but the durational aspect is compelling in its own right - Performa presents itself as a force to be reckoned with, as art you need to make time for, and as an idea that stubbornly lodges itself in your brain. Here’s to an intelligent, thoughtful and undeniably rad few weeks. Already looking forward to what’s to come.