OZ Arts Nashville Presents Portals: A Performance Party featuring a Headlining Set by Southern Gothic Blues Singer Adia Victoria and Sculptures by Visual Artist Vadis Turner

 In addition to Victoria, the lively party-style event features a diverse line-up of performance artists from the worlds of dance, music, theater and spoken word using multiple stages throughout the large creative warehouse for short pieces related to the themes of Turner’s massive soft sculptures

Nashville, Tenn. – February 16, 2022 – Contemporary arts center OZ Arts Nashville today announced an art-bash style performance party in conjunction with a large-scale sculptural exhibit to take place March 4-5, 2022 in OZ Arts‘ expansive creative warehouse. Massive soft sculptures from Nashville-based visual artist Vadis Turner will be installed throughout OZ Arts, setting the stage for pop-up performances by a diverse array of Nashville choreographers, spoken word artists, musicians and theater artists during this highly anticipated two-night event. Among the highlighted performers, the celebratory event will feature a headlining set by rising music star Adia Victoria and a DJ set by local favorite Alanna Royale.

Between the highly anticipated musical appearances, Portals: A Performance Party includes several short performances by local artists including multimedia/music project Gardening, Not Architecture; choreographer and dancer Joi Ware; captivating poet and performer Ciona Rouse; new contemporary dance company novel. dance, helmed by Lyle Oberman; and lauded actress and writer Jennifer Whitcomb-Oliva. These short performances pieces will respond to the resonant themes in Turner’s provocative work, most notably the role of women as makers of culture and the tension between what’s perceived as feminine and masculine. The party-style format will allow guests to mingle in the expansive creative warehouse, creating an immersive environment for viewing Turner’s iconic sculptures and enjoying the pop-up performances throughout the evening, ending with Adia Victoria’s signature electric performance style.

”Vadis Turner is such a bright star in the local visual arts scene, and we are delighted to welcome this incredible line-up of performance artists who are responding to her timely works during this festive evening,” said Mark Murphy, OZ Arts Executive & Artistic Director. ”The dynamic women on this line-up represent some of the best makers of contemporary performance in the city, and we are especially excited to welcome our special guests Adia Victoria and DJ Alanna Royale. We’re confident it will be an unforgettable experience.”

Tickets for the Portals: A Performance Party are $20 and are on sale now on the OZ Arts website.  OZ Arts is also invested in the health of its guests, artists and the overall community. Proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours prior to the event is required for anybody 12+ to attend this event.

This performance and exhibit is made possible with generous support from donors and grants, including funding from the Metro Nashville Arts Commission and the Tennessee Arts Commission. To learn more about upcoming performances, please visit https://www.ozartsnashville.org/.

About OZ Arts Nashville

Founded in 2013 by the Ozgener family, OZ Arts Nashville has quickly established itself as one of the Southeast’s most influential and respected producers and presenters focused on the creation and presentation of significant performing and visual art works by diverse cultural visionaries who are making vital contributions to the evolution of contemporary culture. Through performances, exhibitions, and community events, OZ Arts focuses on producing and presenting the work of local and visiting artists who reflect our diverse society, utilize new artistic forms and technology in creative ways, and provide opportunities for meaningful engagement with audiences, students and cultural and civic leaders. OZ Arts’ unique creative warehouse has developed a reputation as a major national and regional laboratory for experimentation and a home for contemporary dance and performance. More than 50,000 audience members have been introduced to adventurous artists from around the world since the organization opened, and hundreds of local and regional artists have used OZ’s 10,000 square-foot warehouse theater to develop new works. For more information, please visit ozartsnashville.org.

About Vadis Turner

Vadis Turner is an American mixed media artist who synthesizes the practice of painting with repurposed textiles. She received a BFA and MFA from Boston University and was awarded the Joan Mitchell Painters and Sculptors Grant in 2016. Her first solo museum exhibition, Tempest, was at the Frist Art Museum in 2017. Turner’s work is in the permanent collections of the Brooklyn Museum, 21C Hotel & Museum, Hunter Museum of American Art, Tennessee State Museum, Kentucky Arts and Crafts Museum and the Egon Schiele Art Centrum. Selected group exhibitions include the Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, NY; Institute of Contemporary Art, Portland, ME; Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh, PA; Islip Art Museum, Islip, NY; Minnesota Museum of American Art, St. Paul, MN and Cheekwood Museum, Nashville, TN. She has been an artist in residence at the Museum of Arts & Design, NYC, Corporation of Yaddo, Saratoga Springs, NY and Hambidge Center, GA. Turner has an upcoming fellowship at Vermont Studio Center, VT in 2021. Selected press features include Artforum, The New York Times, Wallpaper Magazine, Elle Magazine, Vanityfair.com, Observer, Artnet.com and White Hot Magazine. Turner is represented by Geary in New York and Zeitgeist Gallery in Nashville, TN.

About Adia Victoria

Adia Victoria is a southern gothic blues poet, musician, and storyteller from South Carolina and based in Nashville. Her third studio album A Southern Gothic was executive produced by legendary music icon T Bone Burnett and released to wide acclaim and was named one of the best albums of the year by NPR and Variety. Previously, her album Silences was co-produced by The National’s Aaron Dessner and released in 2019 on Canvasback Records. When not making art, she dedicates her life to her family, silence, brooding in Paris, and mothering her three cats Bot, Nancy and Shelby Foote.