Cinderella Redux (2026)
In 1976 Suzanne Lacy performed Cinderella in a Dragster at Dominguez Hills State University:
“I drove onto the Dominguez Hills State College campus in a borrowed dragster, dressed in a helmet and yellow jumpsuit to deliver a rapid-fire autobiographical monologue on time and my movements across the state. I was teaching weekly in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego, with commutes to three cities stretched across the state. In this performance, I talked about growing up in Central California behind the wheel, my immersion in movement, and early performance art: how being an artist meant building “castles in the air and making coaches out of pumpkins,” and how artistic survival, as a young artist in LA, required an ability “to build, then destroy, your own imaginaries in a search for the next metaphor.””
Cinderella in a Dragster has since become emblematic of 1970s feminist performance, reflecting a shift toward broader inclusion across gender, class, and race in contemporary art. This reimagined work revisits Lacy’s original exploration of speed, time, and identity through a contemporary lens. While drag racing has historically been a male-dominated, working-class sport, Lacy’s project has come to represent an archetype of 1970s women’s liberation in which domestic objectives were replaced by bigger and faster ambitions, in an era when artmaking diversified to include women, the working class, and people of color.
Lacy will acquire, build, and learn to drive a custom drag racer, documenting the process while performing as “Cindy,” who aims to become “The World’s Fastest Rookie Performance Artist.” Through studio activations, public programs, and an evolving social media narrative, audiences are invited to follow Lacy’s preparation in real time. The project merges performance, documentation, and community engagement, hallmarks of the Los Angeles performance art scene that shaped her early work.
Cinderella Redux is being commissioned as part of High Performance: A 2-Year Conference (2025–2027), connecting the legacy of High Performance magazine and California performance art with present-day questions of endurance and artistic longevity.
Project Events:
May 16, 2026 | 12 – 2 pm
Art and Motors: A Conversation with Southern California Artists
Suzanne Lacy Studio, 18th Street Art Center, 1639 18th St, Santa Monica, CA 90404
A discussion with Suzanne Lacy, Carmen Argote, Jamie McMurry, Richard Nielsen, and guests.
July 11, 2026 | 9 am – 2 pm
Gasser Gathering Car Show
Lions Automobilia Foundation, 2790 E Del Amo Blvd, Rancho Dominguez, CA 90221
RSVP
Images: Cinderella Redux (2026) performance by Suzanne Lacy. Photo by Monica Orozco; Cinderella in a Dragster (1976) performance by Suzanne Lacy. Photo by Susan Mogul; Cover photo of High Performance Magazine (1978). Photo by Susan Mogul; Courtesy of the LA Times. Photography by Tyler Matthew Oyer.