ITSOFOMO, the defiant, tender, and visceral collaboration between David Wojnarowicz and Ben Neill premiered in 1989, at the Kitchen in New York City. It’s a dense, unnerving work, overwhelming the audience’s senses with a staccato, four-channel video, Wojnarowicz’s damning monologues, Neill’s fearless composition, and warlike percussion—all shot through with the pressure of inescapable speed. After its premiere, ITSOFOMO was subsequently performed at the Walker Art Center, The Center of Contemporary Art, Seattle, San Francisco Art Institute, Hallwalls, Buffalo, and Exit Art, New York. In 1991, just 16 months before Wojnarowicz’s death from AIDS, the pair recorded ITSOFOMO, one of the final creative projects completed before the artist died at the age of 37.
In 1993, Neill performed ITSOFOMO alongside percussionist Don Yallech at the Bang on a Can music festival, using recordings of Wojnarowicz’s voice. This was the first public performance of ITSOFOMO after Wojnarowicz’s death. The Bang on a Can festival has made video of the entire performance available on their website, click HERE to view.