Photo: Nadine Fraczkowski. Courtesy the artist, Galerie Buchholz, Sprüth Magers, and Park Avenue Armory.
Anne Imhof’s largest performative work to date, DOOM: House of Hope, is approaching its final performance at Park Avenue Armory, concluding on March 12, 2025. Since its premiere on March 3, the nearly three-hour-long production has transformed the Wade Thompson Drill Hall into an immersive, unpredictable environment where movement, sound, and visual storytelling merge into a singular experience.
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Featuring a cast of nearly 60 performers, including dancers, skaters, actors, and artists from New York’s Flexn and Line Dance communities, DOOM blurs the boundaries between audience and performer. As figures move through the vast hall, their actions unfold in overlapping sequences, evoking themes of uncertainty, collectivity, and resilience. The audience is not merely observing but coexisting within the piece, shaped by the shifting dynamics of the space.
Photo: Nadine Fraczkowski. Courtesy the artist, Galerie Buchholz, Sprüth Magers, and Park Avenue Armory.
Curated by Klaus Biesenbach, DOOM builds on Imhof’s legacy of durational, boundary-pushing works, following her Golden Lion-winning Faust at the 2017 Venice Biennale and exhibitions at MoMA PS1, Tate Modern, and Palais de Tokyo. The commission fully utilizes the expansive scale of the Drill Hall, reinforcing the artist’s ability to create layered, time-based compositions that demand full engagement from viewers.
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“Anne Imhof has a singular ability to move bodies, images, and sound in a way that resonates deeply,”said Biesenbach. “With DOOM, she invites audiences into a powerful shared experience that is both visceral and reflective.” Park Avenue Armory’s artistic director Pierre Audi added, “This performance fully realizes the scale and ambition of the Drill Hall, immersing audiences in a world that only Imhof could create.”
Photo: Nadine Fraczkowski. Courtesy the artist, Galerie Buchholz, Sprüth Magers, and Park Avenue Armory.
Reflecting on the project, Imhof describes DOOM as deeply personal. “This work is my love letter to New York, a city that has shaped and inspired me for years. The immense space of the Drill Hall has allowed me to expand my vision further than ever before, but the piece isn’t complete until the audience is present.”
Photo: Nadine Fraczkowski. Courtesy the artist, Galerie Buchholz, Sprüth Magers, and Park Avenue Armory.
With just one performance remaining, DOOM: House of Hope has established itself as a defining moment in contemporary performance art, an experience that will continue to resonate long after the final act.
