13 Rooms

Ever had to scale multiple floors in an elevator with a complete stranger?

Probably.

Ever had to do that while the stranger was completely naked?

Depending on how squirmish you are, you’ll be relieved to know none of these rooms contain elevators. But they do contain a similar truth: Being behind closed doors alters the mood of a situation entirely.

13 Rooms – the third chapter in Klaus Biesenbach and Hans Ulrich Obrist’s confronting art series will drum this into your mind 13 times, with 13 artists (including John Baldessari and Damien Hirst) each filling a room with “living sculptures”. Audience participation isn’t advised – it’s unavoidable.

And though 13 has in the past been an unlucky number, the Sydney leg of the series comes with more than a few perks.

Creative luminaries will be dishing out behind-the-scenes insights and warding off your “I don’t get it” qualms via free art talks and panel discussions (speakers include Sydney Festival Art Director Lieven Bertels and New York-based curator Simon Castets). Or sidle in Friday eve to calm your stage fright with a drink from Grasshopper’s pop-up Bar.