Fourteen years after a nude performance, an artist files a complaint against MoMA

The artist John Bonafede filed a complaint on January 22 in the New York Supreme Court against the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) for its inaction regarding the sexual touching he allegedly suffered during a nude performance for the 2010 retrospective Marina Abramovic: The Artist Is Present.

During this exhibition, John Bonafede had to remain motionless and naked in front of a woman - also undressed - in a corridor for more than an hour. Spectators had to make their way between the two performers in order to access the other rooms of MoMA. It would be in this passage area that the artist was sexually assaulted seven times. According to him, five men “caressed and groped” his genitals while “lingering for a moment before moving on to the next room”. He reports having also witnessed the sexual assault of his co-performer, who was allegedly kissed without her consent by a visitor.

John Bonafede then reported four of his alleged attackers to security, the fifth having been directly spotted by the agents. According to the artist, one of them was a member of the museum. All were expelled from the establishment. The interpreter also claims that MoMA had refused to communicate the identity of these people to him, thus preventing him from filing a complaint against them directly.

He then holds MoMA responsible, which did not specify at the time of the events that spectators were prohibited from touching the artists during the exhibition. “There should be bold artistic performances like these in major institutions, but we must ensure that the artists are properly cared for and that their safety is guaranteed,” Bonafede said via Jordan Fletcher , his lawyer.

During the retrospective Marina Abramovic: The Artist Is Present (2010), 38 performers were naked, motionless, standing or lying under a skeleton. These artists already reported a very “testing” experience in 2010. Some had fainted, others were subjected to rude remarks. Following these comments, MoMA declared that it was “well aware of the challenges posed by the presence of naked artists in galleries” and that discussions had taken place to “ensure that they feel comfortable 'comfortable in the rooms, at any time'.