"The Waiting Room" at ArtSalon: Ben Gould (’15 Painting) on Care and Chaos
07.28.2025
At ArtSalon, Gould will premiere The Waiting Room, a powerful performance that explores the limitations of his body and challenges conventional ideas of normalcy and wellness. The work features live music by cellist Arthur Gould and drummer Michael Gould.
Saturday, September 6 | 7:00 p.m. | Epperson Auditorium | Kansas City Art Institute | Free Event
There was a time when Ben Gould (’15 Painting) didn’t know if he would ever regain use of his left arm. The loss of function wasn’t caused by his thyroid cancer itself, which had aggressively spread to his lymph nodes, but rather by nerve damage sustained during surgeries to remove baseball-sized tumors.
“In my work, I’ve done a lot with control and the loss of control. Now I’m also really looking closer at what the body is capable of doing in a state of considerable unwellness or weakness. Real weakness, you know?” Gould says.
Gould will premiere The Waiting Room at 7 p.m. on Saturday, September 6 in Epperson Auditorium during ArtSalon, the opening reception for KCAI’s Biennial Alumni Art Exhibition. His performance will be primed and accompanied by a drummer and a cellist, with his choreographic work further fueled by the tics and spasms of Tourette’s syndrome.
Although Gould says his performance isn't specifically about cancer, it's his first piece since his diagnosis, treatment, and recovery. He's now working with a body that isn’t as capable as he's used to, which adds another layer of tension.
“There’s this way that doctors, the medical industrial complex, and normal society all want to define certain bodies. They want them to behave in certain ways,” Gould says.
“It’s sort of the tyranny of ‘the well,’ you know? The disavowal of anyone who resides in the state of being ill.”
Surgical instruments
Cast Ice tools. A bone reamer. An electrostimulus unit. In The Waiting Room, Gould will utilize a collection of medical tools, including a TENS unit (Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation) which sends an electric current through the body. He says his interest in performance grew out of the same impulse that drew him to sculpture: discovery through tools and material.
But for Gould, performance also arrived out of necessity. He describes it as a vital response to a long stretch of limitations.
“I went through a period with the development of my Tourette’s where I was prohibited from using power tools or lifting anything over 10 pounds for years. So the idea of limitations arising through medical mandate has been a really big force in my work,” Gould says.
Fuel for the Fire
As Gould neared graduation from KCAI, his Tourette's began presenting as an ever-changing mix of physical spasms, vocal tics, and at times, violent thrashes. Day to day, he feels the heavy weight of public expectations and the constant strain of holding back.
In response, his performance work deeply incorporates that part of his being. He tries to be as open as he can and let everything out. Then the choreography and specifics of the work rein him back in as he builds form.
“I’m not just uninhibitedly twitching for you, but I’m using that energy, letting the energy flow, and specifically trying to give it shape. So I’m using that unbridled raw power as the fuel for the fire,” Gould says.
He drops his guard, summoning the involuntary actions to different parts of his body. He allows “it” to have a voice, at the same time changing and reframing the way his body moves.
“It can sound very formless and can sound very loose. But the work that I’m doing is very specific. It’s so much about changing the way we think about what’s normal,” he says.
On the Same Wavelength
The performance isn’t just about Gould’s movements. It’s a duet between cello and percussion, with Ben joining the musicians as they approach the crescendo. The instrumentalists also hold special meaning. The drummer, Michael Gould, is Ben’s cousin, and the cellist, Arthur Gould, is Ben’s father, who studied Sculpture and Ceramics at KCAI from 1967 to 1972.
“I’ve seen many of Ben’s performances,” Arthur says. “They are all cathartic, emotional, and very intense. When he first started doing performance work, it was quite difficult to watch. Over time, even though I’m still emotionally hooked every time, I find them very compelling.
“I’m really looking forward to being more integrated into what he’s doing. Aside from being family, we’re all on the same wavelength,” he says.
Essentially, the cello-drum pair will emulate some very iconic on-hold music. Ben envisions transmitting this through different locations on campus prior to his actual performance, with the music gradually becoming more chaotic as the performance progresses.
Ben describes the concept this way: “It’s sort of like sustained limbo, an unending denial of gratification, a suspension of care. These themes are important to me. In the work, they will be palpable through literal repetition, both in the music and in my body.”
Next, Ben joins the musicians who are slowly descending into chaos.
Image: Artwork by Ben Gould
Back to School
In addition to his studio practice Ben Gould currently works for the Columbia University School of the Arts, teaching workshops and helping run the sculpture facilities for graduate students. He says he thinks about his time at KCAI frequently, especially the Foundation program.
“The longer I’ve been away from it, the more special it feels. I think about it a lot. I’m still close with many, many artists that I met in Kansas City who are still part of my community now. I even met my wife there.” Gould says.
Beyond his performance, he’s looking forward to connecting with people during Alumni Weekend, acting as an ambassador of sorts while presenting the Featured Artist performance. He also says there’s a particular feeling to Kansas City, not just at the school, but the sense of freedom to explore that comes with starting as an artist at KCAI.
“Like, it feels like you can really sort of do whatever. Like, really do whatever you want to do and you can just make it happen if you have the gumption, I guess. That felt really special,” he says.
Current Perspective Lecture
Thursday, September 4
Epperson Auditorium | Kansas City Art Institute (KCAI)
7:00 - 8:30 p.m.
Join us for a powerful lecture by KCAI alum Ben Gould (’15 Painting), whose interdisciplinary practice explores the relationship between health, disability, and material transformation.
Through performance, sculpture, and site-specific installations, Gould examines care as both a personal and structural force shaped by energy, support systems, and the body’s capacity to adapt. His work challenges physical limitations and societal norms, constructing new narratives rooted in collaboration, material origin, and lived experience.
The Waiting Room
Saturday, September 6
Epperson Auditorium | Kansas City Art Institute (KCAI)
7 p.m. - 8 p.m.
During ArtSalon, Gould will debut The Waiting Room, a visceral live performance critiquing and reflecting on the medical industrial complex through a chaotic, hour-long choreography alongside a score of percussion and cello, built from the repetitive patterns of on-hold music.
