A unique performance art piece has come to San Francisco, and its primary material is foam. The immersive performance piece is the work of acclaimed artist Michail Michailov, who partnered with the Minnesota Street Project Foundation and re.riddle to bring the work to the United States for the first time. Titled Self-Brainwashing, the piece has performances scheduled through February 8th after opening on January 17.
When you select your tickets, you can choose between being an observer and a participant. Participants are given white suites to protect them from the wet foam, complete with hats padded to create a cone-like shape. Then, the artist himself leads the participants to the center of the warehouse—often in pairs—where he meticulously places them. Fully outfitted in their white suits, the participants stay in place until everyone has been guided to a spot.
Two machines rumble to life, spraying foam over the motionless participants. The foam quickly grows in volume, cascading down from the machines as massive lights illuminate the show. Michailov, also in a white jumpsuit, used a leaf blower to disperse the foam throughout the crowd of participants. The foam machines stop as participants are enveloped with the foam while tufts of bubbles still float around them. Finally, Michailov guided participants out of the foam as elegantly as he did at the beginning of the performance.
Michailov is originally from Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria and currently works in Vienna and Paris. The piece was initially part of a solo exhibition in the Bulgarian Pavilion at the Venice Biennale in 2022. Now, we are lucky enough to experience the incredible piece in San Francisco. The Minnesota Street Project Foundation is a nonprofit with a mission to expand public access to contemporary art and regularly hosts unique exhibitions.
You can still see (or experience) Self-Brainwashing until February 8, 2025. Tickets are available online, priced at $10. There are three performances a week on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. You can learn more about the piece and find tickets here.