Sometimes when conceptual art goes literal, it can be a breath of fresh air — or, as tonight’s exhibition at Legation proves, hot air. Beginning at 6 p.m., the Night of Performance showcases the range of expression and conversation possible within performance art. Headlining is Lynda Abraham’s “Having No Alternative/Gone Too Far,” a machine of the artists’ own design that greedily eats up electricity while replaying familiar anti-alternative power sloganizing, and blowing warm air into an inflating balloon. In a lower-tech, but perhaps even more poignant performance, current C.I.A. student Ryan McDaniel inflates his own balloons. An anxiety sufferer, McDaniel breathes into paper bags to calm himself. He will be decorating Legations’ walls, ceilings, and floors with used bags to create spaces of security, which also drive home to the viewer the omnipresence of anxiety in the lives of those it acutely affects. The evening begins with Ryan Charles Ramer, a composer and recent recipient of an Individual Excellence Grant from the Ohio Arts Council. Ramer will be performing his Songs for Soprano and Toy Piano, accompanied by vocalist Jaclyn Surso. Light refreshment will be served, and wine and beer will be on sale. Otherwise, it’s free.