Rosa Barba: The Ocean of One’s Pause

In Rosa Barba’s conceptual explorations of film, the artist regards cinema as an architectural medium, using film as a speculative instrument to examine the unique properties of space. She explains, “I explore film and its capacity to simultaneously be an immaterial medium that carries information and a physical material with sculptural properties.”

Featuring film, kinetic sculpture, and sound activations, this exhibition spans 15 years of Barba’s work. Charge, a new 35mm film co-commissioned by MoMA and The Vega Foundation, Toronto, forms the core of the installation and probes light as a source of ecological and societal change. Barba’s films often explore natural landscapes and human-made changes to the environment by delving into historical records, personal narratives, and the sensory experience of film.

Accompanying these works is a series of live performances that reconceive the relationship between cinema, the body, and the human voice. In each performance of The Ocean of One’s Pause, the sonic frequencies of percussionist Chad Taylor, vocalist Alicia Hall Moran, and Barba herself will activate a symphony of images throughout the installation. Rather than playing an accompanying role to the moving image, in this work, Barba has sound take center stage, prompting a live collaboration between light, voice, rhythm, and film that emphasizes the interdependency of each.

In conjunction with the exhibition, Barba has also curated a selection of films drawn from MoMA’s collection. Carte Blanche: Rosa Barba which will be presented in MoMA’s theaters May 13–18, 2025.

Performance Schedule:

Thursday, May 15, 4:00 and 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, May 17, 4:00 and 7:00 p.m.*
Sunday, May 18, 2:00 p.m.
Thursday, June 26, 4:00 and 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, June 28, 4:00 and 7:00 p.m.
Sunday, June 29, 2:00 p.m.

* The 7:00 p.m. performance on May 17 will be followed by a conversation with the artist.

Capacity for all performances is limited and advance registration is required.
Member presale begins April 2. Tickets for the general public will be available on April 14.

Note: tickets to the matinee performances on May 15, 17, and 18, and June 26, 28, and 29 include general Museum admission.

To accommodate the performances, the exhibition Rosa Barba: The Ocean of One’s Pause will be closed all day on May 15, 17, and 18, and June 26, 28, and 29.

Music arranged and performed by Rosa Barba (cello), Alicia Hall Moran (vocals), and Chad Taylor (percussion). Audio engineering by Sascha von Oertzen