The ninth edition of the Performa Biennial focused on New York City as it re-emerged from the prolonged trauma of the pandemic that has radically altered our way of life, affecting the larger social infrastructure as well as the everyday details of our day-to-day existence. Taking place almost entirely outdoors from October 12-31, the Performa 2021 Biennial used the city as its backdrop, and featured new live performances by Kevin Beasley, Ericka Beckman, Sara Cwynar, Danielle Dean, Madeline Hollander, Andrés Jaque (Office for Political Innovation), Tschabalala Self, and Shikeith. For the first time in its sixteen-year history, the entire Biennial opened to the public free of charge.