Movements Toward Freedom explores the power, possibility, and vulnerability of bodily movement in contemporary life through movement’s physical and social dimensions. Featuring recent work and new commissions that span performance, sculpture, video, painting, and installation, the exhibition examines how the articulations of our bodies-collective and singular-shape and sustain a vital society. Each artist considers movement’s integral role in the exercising of agency through community-building, civic change, and the fight for liberation, as well as its potential to serve as an antidote to strife and a vehicle for healing and care.

The exhibition highlights how artists expand the notion of performance and movement, capturing action through materiality and encouraging visitors to interact with their work. Some pieces celebrate histories of shared joy, while others articulate platforms on which communities come together and thrive. The artists featured here explore modalities like dance, physical fitness, and sports, questioning the boundaries of what constitutes mobility while also considering instances of collaboration and striving toward common goals.

Movements Toward Freedom addresses fundamental questions about the nature of the body and reflects on how we navigate shared space and connect with each other through movement in 2024. The works aim to ground viewers in their own bodies, creating a dynamic space activated by performances, programs, and visitor participation. Guests can refer to the artwork labels for ways to engage with interactive works.

Movements Toward Freedom is curated by Leilani Lynch, MCA Denver Associate Curator, with support from Anderson Heagy, Exhibitions Manager and Rebecca Gates, Exhibitions and Registration Coordinator. Exhibition programming is organized by Sarah Kate Baie, Min Sohn Deputy Director of Programming, and Leilani Lynch, with support from Tai Bickham, Community Outreach and Partnerships Manager, and Carolyn Badalucco, Program Coordinator.