Gates, Borders, Barriers: Jonathan González

Who is looking in? Who is looking out? Who is free? Who is trapped? Who has the power to decide who has the freedom to be inside and outside? was a movement-based performance by Jonathan González and Katrina Reid to mark the closing of Fred Wilson’s Mind Forged Manacles/Manacle Forged Minds. The performance was followed by a community celebration with refreshments from Drive Change, a food truck and hospitality-centered fellowship program that supports formerly incarcerated young people and creates quality employment pathways to ensure their economic and emotional wellbeing.

More Art commissioned this captivating and thought-provoking performance by Jonathan González, exploring the complex questions of visibility, confinement, and authority in our society. Through a dynamic collaboration between the performers—Jonathan González and Katrina Reid—and the AJ Iron Works fabrication team, who was responsible for originally constructing the welded steel gates that form the very structure of Wilson’s artwork, the audience witnessed a mesmerizing display of improvised movements.

The performance took place in the midst of the de-installation process, symbolically representing the desired collapse of gates and barriers that hinder our freedom. As the de-installation crew actively dismantled the artwork, González and Reid seamlessly interfaced with their actions. This interactive element allows the audience to witness the transformative power of dismantling obstacles, both metaphorically and literally.

Jonathan González’s performance invites reflection on societal boundaries, power dynamics, and the liberation that comes from breaking down barriers. Through the seamless integration of movement, sculpture, and de-installation, the audience was immersed in a visually striking and intellectually stimulating exploration of freedom and visibility in our world.

Presented in partnership with the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership, this event is part of Gates, Borders, Barriers, a series of public programs in connection with Fred Wilson’s year-long installation Mind Forged Manacles/Manacle Forged Minds. This program is produced in part through the Downtown Brooklyn + Dumbo Art Fund, a grant that funds projects that serve to enhance public space, increase access to cultural programming, and connect the neighborhoods of Downtown Brooklyn and Dumbo. The grant is part of the New York State Downtown Revitalization Initiative.