Anne Imhof Unveils Her Largest Performance to Date in New York

German performance and choreographer Anne Imhof has unveiled her largest performance to date in New York. Titled “DOOM: HOUSE OF HOPE,” the three-hour-long immersive piece transforms the Park Avenue Armory’s 55,000 square foot drill hall into a powerful landscape of community, hope and chaos.

Housed between a gym floor overlay and a striking red doomsday clock on a hanging jumbotron, audiences are immediately welcomed into Imhof’s moody, teen universe. A loose adaptation of Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet, a patchwork of props and people adorn “DOOM” – from cheerleaders and basketball players to a baby-punk band and two dozen Cadillac Escalades.

Featuring a cast of 60 dancers, artists, musicians, poets and skaters – including actress Talia Ryder and Eliza Douglas, Balenciaga’s darling and Imhof’s longtime collaborator – the performance delves into a variety of artistic forms: tattooing, line dancing, live music and poetry. “’DOOM’ is my love letter to New York, a city that is very close to my heart and has inspired me for many years,” Imhof explained. “For this show, I feel honored to work with a diverse subset of the city’s artistic community.”

Beneath its edgy exterior, “DOOM” pulses with a titular feeling of hope. Imhof offers a movement-based language for a world where anxiety and optimism coexist in a balancing act. What’s bleak at face-value reflects a collective state of consciousness – its true, zombie-like form – with crystal clarity.

The piece marks Imhof’s first return to New York since her 2015 presentation at MoMA PS1, and builds on ideas and themes explored in Imhof’s Golden Lion-winning durational performance “Faust” shown at the 2017 Venice Biennial.

“The work is not complete until the audience is present, and I look forward to experiencing the energy that New York will bring to it.”

“DOOM: HOUSE OF HOPE” is now on view in New York through March 12. Tickets can be purchased through the Armory’s website.