The MoMA Presents – Black Power Naps: La Biblioteca Is Open

The Museum of Modern Art will present its newest installation Black Power Naps: La Biblioteca Is Open at The Museum of Modern Art screening January 19th through April 16th. Visit this interactive installation to practice rest as a form of reparations, or repairs, for historical and ongoing injustices.

Rest is a luxury for many. Black people in the United States are twice as likely to get insufficient sleep compared with white people. This “sleep gap” identified by researchers is worse for those who are undocumented, disabled, or at lower income levels. Black Power Naps is a project by artists Navild Acosta and Sosa that responds to these conditions and asks, “How can we dream when we don’t sleep?” The artists trace our culture of constant fatigue back to the use of sleep deprivation to control enslaved people in the US. They actively reject this legacy and claim power in rest, inviting you to imagine a world in which leisure, downtime, and quality sleep are available to all.

The space is designed to feel like a ship, rocking you to a state of relaxation on soft mattresses, cushions, rugs, and hand-dyed fabrics. Listen to the calming soundscape that surrounds you, watch projected images, and use the artists’ Traveling Biblioteca library to learn about the politics of rest and refusal.

Public programs in collaboration with the artists will be announced at a later date.