Name: MES, セイ/SE-I/SAY World Premiere
Start: 2027-02-25
Location: The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA

Two thermal-imaging portraits of a person, in red, yellow and blue heat colors, with the words I SAY OUR LIVES across the chest — Image courtesy of MES via MOCA

Event Details

Date: Feb 25, 2027, Time TBA
Venue: The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA
Address: 152 N Central Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90012
Price: $10 - $12
Source: Event info via MOCA

MES, セイ/SE-I/SAY World Premiere is at The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA, Los Angeles, on Feb 25, 2027. Tickets: $10 - $12.

Lasers, candles and thermal cameras do not usually share a gallery with a lesson in early twentieth-century political history. In MES's work they do. The Tokyo-based duo of Takeru Arai and Kanae Tanikawa (both born 1991) bring the world premiere of their first durational performance installation, セイ/SE-I/SAY, to The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA, and it is one of the more unusual upcoming events Los Angeles has on the calendar for late winter 2027.

When: Thursday, February 25 to Sunday, March 7, 2027, with performances 5 to 9 PM on the dates below Where: The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA, 152 N Central Ave, Los Angeles Admission: $12 general, $10 MOCA members

What to expect

MES draw on their activism and their background in club culture. Heat and light are the main materials: lasers, candles and thermographic imaging sit alongside live performance. The piece explores the solidarity between young Japanese and American anarchist movements in the early 1900s.

The research follows thinkers such as the American writer Emma Goldman and Shusui Kotoku, a Japanese socialist who traveled to California in 1905. MES combine their own text with the words of those figures, then layer in video, site-specific soundscapes and a custom confetti installation. The result is built to run over several weeks rather than as a single show, so the room changes from one visit to the next.

The work is presented by MOCA and the National Center for Art Research as part of JUMP, a global collaboration program for emerging artists and curators from Japan.

Performance dates

MOCA lists performances from 5 to 9 PM on Thursday through Sunday for two weeks: February 25 to 28 and March 4 to 7, 2027. Because the format is durational, you can come and go during the window instead of arriving for a fixed curtain.

Getting there

The Geffen Contemporary sits in Little Tokyo, a short walk from the Metro A Line stop. If you drive, plan ahead for downtown parking, since MOCA's page does not list a dedicated lot for this event. Check the MOCA event page for current admission details before you go.

Looking for more things happening in Los Angeles that week? The arts and culture section and the downtown page list what else is on nearby.