12.3 Performance art and live art

Performance art and live art shake up traditional art forms, blending theater, dance, and visual art. These genres challenge norms, using the artist's body and audience interaction to create unique, immediate experiences that blur the line between art and life.

These art forms often tackle political and social issues, pushing boundaries and sparking dialogue. By occupying unconventional spaces and engaging viewers directly, performance and live art create powerful, transformative experiences that can inspire change and new perspectives.

Performance Art vs Live Art

Origins and Conceptual Differences

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• Performance art emerged in the 1960s and 1970s as a way for artists to challenge traditional art forms and blur the boundaries between art and life, often incorporating elements of theater, dance, music, and visual art
• Live art is a more recent term that encompasses a wide range of performance-based practices, including site-specific works, durational performances, and participatory events, with an emphasis on the immediate and ephemeral nature of the live experience
• The origins of performance art can be traced back to avant-garde movements such as Futurism, Dada, and Surrealism, which sought to break down the barriers between art and life and challenge traditional notions of art-making
• Live art has its roots in the Happenings and Fluxus movements of the 1960s, which emphasized the importance of process, chance, and audience participation in the creation of art (Yoko Ono's "Cut Piece", Allan Kaprow's "18 Happenings in 6 Parts")

Focus on the Artist's Body and Audience Interaction

• Performance art often focuses on the body and presence of the artist as the primary medium, while live art may involve a greater degree of audience participation and interaction
• In performance art, the artist's body serves as a canvas for expressing ideas, emotions, and social commentary (Marina Abramović's "The Artist is Present", Chris Burden's "Shoot")
• Live art practices often invite the audience to become active participants in the creation and experience of the work, blurring the lines between performer and spectator (Tino Sehgal's "This Progress", Rirkrit Tiravanija's "Untitled (Free)")

Artist's Body in Performance

The Body as Medium and Message

• In performance art, the artist's body often serves as the primary medium, with the artist using their physical presence to convey meaning, challenge social norms, and explore personal and political issues
• Performance artists often use their bodies to push physical and psychological boundaries, exploring themes of pain, endurance, vulnerability, and transformation (Marina Abramović's "Rhythm 0", Ron Athey's "Four Scenes in a Harsh Life")
• The artist's body can also serve as a site of resistance and protest, with performance art and live art practices often addressing issues of gender, sexuality, race, and power (Adrian Piper's "Catalysis" series, Guillermo Gómez-Peña's "The Couple in the Cage")

Presence, Immediacy, and Authenticity

• The presence of the artist in the live moment creates a sense of immediacy and authenticity, blurring the lines between art and life and challenging traditional notions of representation and mediation
• Live art practices may involve a greater degree of audience participation and interaction, with the artist's presence serving as a catalyst for collective experience and dialogue (Tania Bruguera's "Tatlin's Whisper #5", Marina Abramović and Ulay's "Imponderabilia")
• The ephemeral nature of performance art and live art emphasizes the importance of the present moment and the unique, unrepeatable quality of each performance (Tehching Hsieh's "One Year Performances")

Challenging Artistic Boundaries

Interdisciplinarity and Hybridity

• Performance art and live art often incorporate elements of theater, dance, music, and visual art, blurring the boundaries between traditional art forms and creating hybrid, interdisciplinary practices
• These practices challenge the notion of art as a static, object-based medium, emphasizing the importance of process, temporality, and embodied experience
• The interdisciplinary nature of performance art and live art also reflects a broader cultural shift towards more fluid and open-ended forms of artistic practice, in which the boundaries between art and life are increasingly porous (Laurie Anderson's "United States", Robert Wilson's "Einstein on the Beach")

Unconventional Spaces and Audience Engagement

• Performance art and live art often take place outside of traditional art spaces such as galleries and museums, instead occupying public spaces, abandoned buildings, or other unconventional venues (Gordon Matta-Clark's "Day's End", Trisha Brown's "Roof Piece")
• By breaking down the barriers between art forms and disciplines, performance art and live art create new possibilities for artistic expression and audience engagement, challenging viewers to reconsider their assumptions about what constitutes art
• The site-specific nature of many performance art and live art practices can also serve as a critique of the commodification and institutionalization of art, challenging the art market's emphasis on object-based value and ownership (Richard Long's "A Line Made by Walking", Francis Alÿs's "When Faith Moves Mountains")

Implications of Performance Art

Political, Social, and Cultural Critique

• Performance art and live art often address political, social, and cultural issues, using the body and presence of the artist as a means of critique and resistance
• These practices have been used to challenge dominant power structures, raise awareness about social injustice, and give voice to marginalized communities (Guillermo Gómez-Peña's "Border Brujo", Coco Fusco and Guillermo Gómez-Peña's "The Year of the White Bear")
• Performance art and live art have played a significant role in the development of feminist, queer, and post-colonial art practices, providing a platform for artists to explore issues of gender, sexuality, race, and cultural identity (Ana Mendieta's "Silueta" series, Leigh Bowery's performances)

Community, Dialogue, and Social Change

• Performance art and live art can create spaces for dialogue and exchange, fostering a sense of community and solidarity among participants and audiences
• By blurring the boundaries between art and life, performance art and live art can also challenge traditional notions of identity, subjectivity, and agency, inviting viewers to reconsider their own roles and responsibilities as social actors
• The participatory and interactive nature of many performance art and live art practices can serve as a catalyst for social change, encouraging individuals to engage with pressing issues and imagine alternative futures (Suzanne Lacy's "The Crystal Quilt", Tania Bruguera's "Immigrant Movement International")