Farewell
Audio Guide
New Years Eve:
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Broadway between 41st and 49th Streets
New York, NY
Start:
May 1, 2026
End:
May 31, 2026
Nightly, 11:57pm – 12am
View Public Programming
Broadway between 41st and 49th Streets
New York, NY
Start:
May 1, 2026
End:
May 31, 2026
Nightly, 11:57pm – 12am
View Public Programming
Farewell by Yael Bartana captures the moments leading up to the departure of a fictional generation ship destined for remote galaxies. Before embarking on a redemptive journey humanity bids Earth goodbye in a choreographed ritual, hoping for survival in leaving the planet to heal itself. Shortly before midnight, allegorically running out of time, the ship emerges as a messianic vessel. The dancers mirror the kinetic movement of the ship as well as the human endeavor behind it. Their gestures navigate the liminal space between our world and the unknown future.
Following her method of pre-enactment Bartana draws from the Labanotation, a system developed by choreographer Rudolf von Laban in the early 20th century, combining expressionistic dance with collective and ritualistic movement in ways that echo Bartana's own engagement with social themes. As the video unfolds, Bartana invites her viewers to join the great departure towards the new frontiers of outer space.
Farewell by Yael Bartana captures the moments leading up to the departure of a fictional generation ship destined for remote galaxies. Before embarking on a redemptive journey humanity bids Earth goodbye in a choreographed ritual, hoping for survival in leaving the planet to heal itself. Shortly before midnight, allegorically running out of time, the ship emerges as a messianic vessel. The dancers mirror the kinetic movement of the ship as well as the human endeavor behind it. Their gestures navigate the liminal space between our world and the unknown future.
Following her method of pre-enactment Bartana draws from the Labanotation, a system developed by choreographer Rudolf von Laban in the early 20th century, combining expressionistic dance with collective and ritualistic movement in ways that echo Bartana's own engagement with social themes. As the video unfolds, Bartana invites her viewers to join the great departure towards the new frontiers of outer space.
Support for Midnight Moment is provided in part by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature; public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council; and the Times Square Advertising Coalition.
Midnight Moment is made possible by the Times Square Advertising Coalition, ABC SuperSign, American Eagle, Big Outdoor, Branded Cities, Clear Channel, Coca-Cola, Diversified, Express, Heritage Outdoor Media, KEVANI, Levi's, LG, Line Friends, McDonald's, Microsoft, Midtown Financial, Morgan Stanley, New Tradition, Outfront, Paramount, Prudential, RXR, Sensory Interactive, Sephora, Sherwood Equities, Show + Tell, Silvercast, Swatch, TSX, and T-Mobile.
Broadway between 41st and 49th Streets
New York, NY
Nightly, 11:57pm – 12am
Images courtesy of the artist
Yael Bartana (b. 1970) is an observer of the contemporary and a pre-enactor. She employs art as a scalpel inside the mechanisms of power structures and navigates the fine and crackled line between the sociological and the imagination. In her films, installations, photographs, staged performances, and public monuments she investigates subjects like national identity, trauma, and displacement, often through ceremonies, memorials, public rituals, and collective gatherings.
Her work has been exhibited worldwide, including solo exhibitions with GL Strand Copenhagen (2024); Jewish Museum Berlin (2021), Fondazione Modena Arti Visive (2019/2020); Philadelphia Museum of Art (2018); Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam (2015); Secession, Vienna (2012); Tel Aviv Museum of Art (2012); Louisiana Museum (2012) Moderna Museet, Malmö (2010); and MoMA PS1, NY (2008).
Learn More About
Yael Bartana
Yael Bartana (b. 1970) is an observer of the contemporary and a pre-enactor. She employs art as a scalpel inside the mechanisms of power structures and navigates the fine and crackled line between the sociological and the imagination. In her films, installations, photographs, staged performances, and public monuments she investigates subjects like national identity, trauma, and displacement, often through ceremonies, memorials, public rituals, and collective gatherings.
Her work has been exhibited worldwide, including solo exhibitions with GL Strand Copenhagen (2024); Jewish Museum Berlin (2021), Fondazione Modena Arti Visive (2019/2020); Philadelphia Museum of Art (2018); Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam (2015); Secession, Vienna (2012); Tel Aviv Museum of Art (2012); Louisiana Museum (2012) Moderna Museet, Malmö (2010); and MoMA PS1, NY (2008).
Learn More About
Yael Bartana
Yael Bartana (b. 1970) is an observer of the contemporary and a pre-enactor. She employs art as a scalpel inside the mechanisms of power structures and navigates the fine and crackled line between the sociological and the imagination. In her films, installations, photographs, staged performances, and public monuments she investigates subjects like national identity, trauma, and displacement, often through ceremonies, memorials, public rituals, and collective gatherings.
Her work has been exhibited worldwide, including solo exhibitions with GL Strand Copenhagen (2024); Jewish Museum Berlin (2021), Fondazione Modena Arti Visive (2019/2020); Philadelphia Museum of Art (2018); Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam (2015); Secession, Vienna (2012); Tel Aviv Museum of Art (2012); Louisiana Museum (2012) Moderna Museet, Malmö (2010); and MoMA PS1, NY (2008).
Learn More About
Yael Bartana
