World of Echo: Julius Eastman and Arthur Russell

World of Echo: Julius Eastman and Arthur Russell reconsiders the legacies of maverick artists Julius Eastman and Arthur Russell via their collaborations, independent musical careers, and the continued impact of their work today.

Meeting in New York City in 1975, Russell and Eastman worked together as curators, conductors, musicians, singers, advocates, and friends across each other’s projects. These collaborations are reflected in the experimental composition “Instrumentals,” the opera Medea, the performance and record 24 to 24 Music, and the celebrated disco single “Go Bang! #5” Both were classically trained: Eastman as a singer and pianist, Russell as a cellist. The two artists traversed spaces and genres, performing with orchestras including Los Angeles Philharmonic, at alternative art spaces like The Kitchen and national interdisciplinary museums like the Walker Art Center, and in dance clubs like Paradise Garage and The Loft. Both queer men fiercely dedicated to their artistic practice, Eastman and Russell utilized language–both in titles and lyrics–to suggest liberatory possibilities, from Eastman’s driving repetition to Russell’s layered tenderness.

Conceived for REDCAT and the result of both scholarly research and oral histories, this exhibition weaves together rarely seen archival material from Eastman and Russell’s lives, brought together with works by contemporary artists that respond to their legacies through a committed, embodied study of their approaches. Instigating this approach is the installation The Holy Presence of Joan d’Arc, in which Wild Up cellist Seth Parker Woods presents his recording of all ten cello parts of Eastman’s 1981 masterwork. Acknowledging that Eastman and Russell’s acclaim has only increased following their all-too-early deaths, this show grapples with the tension of loss and continued resonance.

The contemporary artists included in the exhibition who contend with the legacy of Julius Eastman and Arthur Russell include: Devendra Banhart, Julia Holter, Roberto Carlos Lange, Justen Leroy, Kyle Marshall, Missy Mazzoli, Moor Mother, Dave Muller, Seth Parker Woods, Ethan Philbrick, Adee Roberson, Christopher Rountree, claire rousay, Kristi Sword, Adam Tendler, Davóne Tines, Jeremy Toussaint-Baptiste & LaMont Hamilton, Saul Williams, Wild Up, Matt Wolf, richard valitutto, and Andrew Yee.

This landmark collaboration with LA Phil Insight, Wild Up, and REDCAT is presented as part of the broader To the Fullest festival celebrating the work of Julius Eastman and Arthur Russell. The exhibition is accompanied by two concerts at REDCAT. On March 29, GRAMMY-nominated orchestral collective Wild Up presents Julius Eastman: The Holy Presence at REDCAT—an evening of Eastman compositions with Seth Parker Woods and Dwight Trible. May 1–3, Wild Up returns for Arthur Russell: 24 to 24 Music—a presentation of Russell’s disco masterwork in an open-form dance party.