The Goldberg Variations: Clayton Lee

In The Goldberg Variations, Canadian performance artist Clayton Lee freely references and entangles queer diasporic sexuality and aesthetics with classical music (Johann Sebastian Bach) and professional wrestling (Bill Goldberg). From a late night cabaret with Philadelphia’s Bearded Ladies to the grand proscenium of NYU Skirball Center in New York City to the iconic Walker Court at the Art Gallery of Ontario, The Goldberg Variations is an ever-evolving performance project that is re-imagined and adapted for every space. Using deadpan humour, generosity, and a low-vibrating mischievousness to facilitate and indulge the “what-ifs” of the live encounter, Clayton guides the audience through his sexual history while conjuring and perhaps manifesting new fantasies at the exact same time. The Goldberg Variations is an unhinged and reckless deep dive into power dynamics, sexual desire, Domination/submission, heartbreak, vulnerability, tenderness, and the tensions that exist within. Accessibility Content warnings: Adult language, sexual content, depictions or mentions of violence (wrestling). Sensory warnings: Strobe/flashing lights, haze, loud noises, scent, audience interaction, potential presence of a snake. Please indicate any accessibility needs, including wheelchair accessible seating or if you require seating with no stairs, in the provided field. We will do our best to assign seating that works for you and get in touch if we have any questions. A Visual Guide for The Metro Studio has been created, and is current as of August 2023. View it here. About the artist Clayton Lee is a Canadian curator, producer, and performance artist. He is currently the Artistic Director of Fierce Festival in Birmingham, UK. His performance projects have been presented in venues across Canada, the United States, the UK, and New Zealand. Often situating his work within theatrical contexts, previous performances include Ways of Being, co-created with Michael Rubenfeld, at FOLDA and The Kick and Push Festival; and (◕‿◕✿) at The Performance Arcade in Wellington, New Zealand and Chapter’s EXPERIMENTICA in Cardiff, Wales. He was one of the Art Gallery of Ontario’s Artists-in-Residence in 2023. As part of the Living Room Collective, he will be representing Canada at the 2025 Venice Biennale of Architecture.