Conquest was a compelling new collective performance conceived by acclaimed artist Pope.L (b. Newark, 1955). It was inspired by his iconic solo crawls, where the artist dragged himself across a number of different urban landscapes. Navigating the streets and parks of Downtown Manhattan, Conquest extended this irreverent and provocative forty-year tradition of public performance with an ambitious group crawl involving over 140 volunteers.
The artist selected participants who reflect the cultural and demographic diversity of New York City to crawl in relay a 1.5 mile-long route from the West Village’s John A. Seravalli Playground to Union Square via Washington Square Park’s triumphal arch. Crawling together, strangers experienced the struggle and vulnerability of giving up their physical privilege, satirizing their own social and political advantage. As the course of Pope.L’s Conquest unfolded, we were all offered an insight into the power and contradictions of collective action
