Tate Modern Celebrates 25th Birthday with Multisensory Performance by María Magdalena Campos-Pons & Kamaal Malak with wardrobe by OMER ASIM…
Last week Tate Modern marked its 25th anniversary, culminating in a captivating multi-sensory performance titled “I Am Soil. My Tears Are Water”, created by renowned interdisciplinary artist María Magdalena Campos-Pons, alongside her partner in art and life, musician and former member of the band Arrested Development, Kamaal Malak. Campos-Pons had received an invitation from TATE to mark the quarter of a century milestone. Campos-Pons and Malak invited Omer Asim and Maya Antoun of OMER ASIM to create the wardrobe for their performance.
Held in the iconic Tanks space, this immersive experience celebrated the Tate Modern’s milestone while inviting audiences to reflect on themes of healing, resilience, and transformation through music, movement, ritual, and visual art.
The performance, a vibrant tapestry of diaspora, spirituality, and ancestral connection, explored “radical love” as a force for regeneration. Campos-Pons, embodying the metaphor of soil nourished by a “Mother’s River of Tears,” wove together ritualistic elements with dancers, live music, and symbolic objects like plants, flowers, and fruits. Malak’s evocative soundscape, described as a “journey through different sounds, textures, and frequencies,” guided audiences through an emotional arc of sorrow and hope. The bespoke clothing, designed by OMER ASIM, complemented the performance’s dialogue with the Tanks’ architecture, emphasising form, texture, and cultural resonance.
“This performance is a message of optimism in a complex world,” Campos-Pons shared. “We start with tears, but we end with possibility and the affirmation of the human spirit.” The event concluded with a symbolic gesture: a small cake placed on a floor map of the Tanks, celebrating Tate Modern’s 25 years of art and sociability, alongside gifts of shells and candies distributed to the audience.
Malak, whose music underscored the performance, expressed inspiration from the collaborative process. “Everyone came together in a humble, open way. This space, this moment at Tate Modern – it’s historic. I’m already dreaming up new music,” he said. The performance also featured video projections and live drawing, engaging with the history of painting and the architectural context of Tate Modern. A companion installation by Campos-Pons, acquired by Tate from Documenta 14 (2017) and on view until October 24, 2025, further highlighted her contribution to the anniversary celebrations, selected as one of 25 works by 25 artists.
This piece coalesces 40 years of performance practice by Campos-Pons and Malak, now joined together as KaMag productions.
Omer Asim and Maya Antoun’s designs brought a silent yet sensual aesthetic to the performance, their architectural and cultural sensibilities aligning with the event’s themes of care and connection. The collaboration exemplified Tate Modern’s commitment to fostering interdisciplinary dialogue and artistic innovation.
As Campos-Pons addressed the younger audience members, calling them “the future,” she emphasised art’s vitality as a living process. This performance not only honoured Tate Modern’s legacy but also looked forward, inviting all to participate in a shared journey of reflection and renewal.
Tate Modern, opened in 2000, in the building of the former Bankside Power Station and is one of the world’s leading contemporary art museums, renowned for its innovative exhibitions and public programs. Its 25th anniversary celebrates a legacy of art, community, and global impact.
