Everyone Wore Primary Colors and Played With Their Food at the Performa Gala Dinner 

When people think of the Bauhaus, they think of slick metal teapots, bold-colored nesting tables, and, of course, the Barcelona chair. But in addition to the decorative arts, the school enjoyed a fruitful performing arts department led by sculptor, designer, and choreographer Oskar Schlemmer.

On Friday night at Stage37 in West Chelsea, Performa, a nonprofit interdisciplinary arts organization founded in 2004 by curator RoseLee Goldberg (who wore a custom Threeasfour frock), celebrated the 100th anniversary of the Bauhaus, as well as the beginning of the Performa’s Biennial (hosted at various locations throughout New York City through November 24). There were two honorees of the evening: artist Rashid Johnson and Garage Museum founder (among other things) Dasha Zhukova.

The invitation appeared a work of art in itself with a graphic design borrowed from the seminal German design school. It instructed guests to show up in Bauhaus colors—namely, the three primary hues—which many did. Zhukova donned a jungle-red gown, Stella McCartney opted for a royal blue cocktail dress, and Kia LaBeija hit it out of the ballpark in a Heinz mustard–yellow look—hair included.

The night was about performance art, that was a given. But most unexpected were the dinnertime activities. Waiters brought out a selection of baby-food-like purees in various shades to paint with, while other guests drew figure eights with their nonwriting hand and matched up shapes with the feelings they evoked.

During the actual meal, Johnson (who is coming off of two major shows at the Aspen Art Museum and Mexico City’s Museo Tamayo, and contributed a piece to Performa’s 2013 Biennial) was called to the stage to receive his award. “A lot of people believe that artists are going to be the quickest to respond to the times in which we live, and I have often pushed back: It’s not our job to save you, it’s our job to reflect on what we see. One of the things that’s most interesting is how quickly performance is able to react, perhaps more so than we are able to see.”

Johnson’s co-honoree, Zhukova, echoed his remarks on the role of the creative. “Just as the Bauhaus created a platform of creative convergence 100 years ago, we as artists, architects, designers, and entrepreneurs have the opportunity to affect social change,” she said.

In the audience were Roya Sachs (fabulous in a red-and-white pantsuit), Jordan Roth (in a blue chubby and red latex gloves), Colby Mugrabi, Cindy Sherman, and Natalie Bloomingdale (in a custom caped gown by Tish Cox). Everyone stuck around for the Performa Artist Party, where giant rows of baked Alaska carried by staff snaked throughout the room, and the stage welcomed guests to put on their own impromptu performance pieces. Suddenly, everyone was an artist.