Friday, February 20, 2026 at 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM
ICA LA, Los Angeles
***FIRST DRAFT*** is an ongoing performance series that showcases works in progress by Los Angeles–based artists. Organized as a creative laboratory, the program centers community-building and artistic exchange, supporting experimental performance practices that challenge dominant social orders and prioritize self-directed research. Performance-making is often isolating, shaped by individualistic and extractive production models. *FIRST DRAFT* intervenes by activating shared resources, mutual support, and collective growth among local artists. The series position performance as a collaborative practice, providing space for rigorous artistic research, advocating for more equitable models of development, and strengthening the Los Angeles performance ecosystem.FIRST DRAFT at ICA LA on February 20 will present three performance works by local artists **Arushi Singh** and **Moodzi (Abhijeet Mudgerikar)**, **Valeria Tizol Vivas**, and **Negar Kamali**, organized by choreographer and educator **Emily Barasch** in partnership with *FIRST DRAFT*. *FIRST DRAFT* x ICA LA builds connections between visual art and live performance, foregrounding shared lines of inquiry with the artists currently on view at ICA LA. Works by **[Sandra Vásquez de la Horra](https://www.theicala.org/en/exhibitions/468-sandra-vasquez-de-la-horra-the-awake-volcanoes)**, **[Samar Al Summary](https://www.theicala.org/en/exhibitions/534-samar-al-summary-excavating-the-sky)**, and **[Liz Hernández](https://www.theicala.org/en/exhibitions/567-liz-hernandez-donde-piso-crecen-cosas-where-i-step-things-grow)** examine systems of power and patriarchy, the relationship between bodies and political landscapes, displacement, and economic collapse. This collaboration seeks to deepen local artistic networks and foster institutional partnerships that expand the reach and sustainability of *FIRST DRAFT*.