Performers for Lugar de Consuelo by Naufus Ramírez-Figueroa

The Museum of Modern Art, New York

The Museum of Modern Art seeks motivated individuals to perform Naufus Ramírez-Figueroa’s Lugar de Consuelo (Place of Solace), 2020, which will be presented as part of a larger exhibition of the artist’s work in the Marie-Josée and Henry Kravis Studio from April-July 2026. 

The work of Naufus Ramírez-Figueroa (Guatemala City, Guatemala, 1978) fuses sculptural installation, video and performance. Ramírez-Figueroa’s practice draws from Latin American political activism and experimental theatre, calling into question established and entrenched narratives which have emerged on specific episodes in the recent past. Through the physicality of bodies and staged environments that envisage fantasy and reality, the artist revisits his own traumas and those of a country shaped by colonial extractivism, civil war and the social imbalance of the Indigenous population.  

His work has been exhibited at museums and art centres around the world, for instance the Museo de Arte Moderno de Bogotá – MAMBO, Bogotá (2023), The Power Plant, Toronto (2020), New Museum, New York (2018), CAPC musée d'art contemporain de Bordeaux (2017), the KW Institute for Contemporary Art, Berlin (2016), Tate Modern, London (2015) and Castello di Rivoli, Turin (2013), among others.

Lugar de Consuelo (Place of Solace), 2020 revisits Corazon del espantapajaros (Heart of the Scarecrow), a 1962 play by dramaturg, poet, and theater director Hugo Carrillo. In 1975, during Guatemala’s 36-year civil war (1960–96), a student production of the play adapted to address political concerns was swiftly shut down by the authorities before the theater was set on fire. Carillo’s original text remains in circulation, but the censored adaptation has not survived. 

Imagining what it could have been, Ramírez-Figueroa created a video and performance based on a script developed by frequent collaborator, poet, and writer Wingston González. Like the censored version that used an existing text to address other issues, Lugar de Consuelo is a work of political satire that ponders the absurdity of irredeemable human suffering and irrecoverable loss prompted by perpetual histories of violence. Currently on display at the Museo Reina Sofía in Madrid, this work has been filmed at the Universidad Popular de Guatemala and performed at the São Paulo Biennial and Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA)—representing unique political implications in various contexts of time and place. 

In accordance with the artist’s vision for this work, qualified performers must be bilingual (Spanish and English), and be comfortable memorizing speaking roles in both languages. Background in dance, movement, theater or other live arts, and overall passion for the performance experience is required. Experience in clownwork, physical comedy, improvisation, and experimental dance is strongly preferred. The ability to learn and perform choreography, work in close contact with others, and participate in lifts is essential. 

Anticipated schedule consists of approximately three weeks of rehearsal between May 26-June 12, and ~8 performances taking place from mid-late June. Exact schedules will be shared closer to the rehearsal period. This is a paid opportunity and performers must be available for the full rehearsal and performance period to participate.

The rate for this position is as follows:

$250 per rehearsal day (gross) - applicants can assume a concentrated three week rehearsal period (May 26-June 12), approximately 4-5 days a week, 12-15 days total
$1,200 per performance (gross) - approximately 8 performances total

To apply, please submit a CV, a statement of interest detailing your experience and desire to participate, and up to three links to online videos. These videos should showcase your movement practice, previous performance work, dance, improvisation, theatre, or other relevant work samples. One of the video links must be a monologue in Spanish. Please send your materials to liveprograms@moma.org and include “FULL NAME - Lugar de Consuelo” in the subject line of your email. 

Equal Employment Opportunity Policy Statement: Equal Employment Opportunity has been, and will continue to be, a fundamental principle at the Museum, where employment is based upon personal capabilities and qualifications without discrimination because of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability, pregnancy, genetic information, military or veteran status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, marital and civil partnership/union status, alienage or citizenship status, creed, genetic predisposition or carrier status, unemployment status, familial status, domestic violence, sexual violence or stalking victim status, caregiver status, arrest or conviction record to the extent required by applicable law, credit history, or any other protected category as established by applicable law, including the New York City Human Rights Law (“NYCHRL”).

Deadline: January 5, 2026.