🎭Performance Art Unit 12 – Performance Art: Theory & Criticism

What's Performance Art?

• Interdisciplinary art form combines elements of theater, music, dance, and visual arts
• Focuses on the artist's body as the primary medium and material of the artwork
• Often involves live actions or events performed in front of an audience
• Challenges traditional boundaries between artist and audience, art and life
• Emphasizes the process and experience of creation rather than the final product
• Can be spontaneous, improvised, or carefully choreographed and rehearsed
• Explores themes of identity, politics, social issues, and personal experiences
• Pushes the limits of what is considered art and questions societal norms

Key Figures and Movements

• Futurism (early 20th century) celebrated technology, speed, and dynamism through performances
• Dada (1910s-1920s) used absurdist and nonsensical performances to challenge traditional art
• Bauhaus (1919-1933) integrated performance into their multidisciplinary approach to art education
• Black Mountain College (1933-1957) fostered experimental performances by artists like John Cage and Merce Cunningham
• Fluxus (1960s-1970s) emphasized simplicity, humor, and audience participation in their performances
  • Yoko Ono's "Cut Piece" (1964) invited audience members to cut away her clothing
  • Joseph Beuys' "I Like America and America Likes Me" (1974) involved living with a coyote for three days
• Marina Abramović pioneered durational performances that tested physical and mental limits
  • "The Artist is Present" (2010) involved sitting silently with individual audience members for over 700 hours

Theoretical Frameworks

• Postmodernism questions grand narratives and embraces pluralism, irony, and appropriation in performance art
• Feminism examines gender roles, power dynamics, and the female body in performance art
• Queer theory explores non-normative identities, desires, and expressions through performance
• Postcolonialism critiques the legacy of colonialism and asserts the agency of marginalized cultures in performance
• Phenomenology emphasizes the embodied, sensory experience of both the performer and the audience
• Semiotics analyzes the signs, symbols, and meanings communicated through performance
• Psychoanalysis investigates the unconscious drives, desires, and anxieties expressed in performance
• Marxism interrogates the economic, social, and political structures that shape performance art

Critical Analysis Techniques

• Formal analysis examines the visual, auditory, and kinesthetic elements of a performance
• Contextual analysis situates the performance within its historical, cultural, and artistic context
• Interpretive analysis explores the themes, meanings, and symbolism conveyed through the performance
• Reception theory considers how different audiences perceive, interpret, and respond to the performance
• Comparative analysis juxtaposes the performance with other artworks, genres, or movements
• Semiotic analysis decodes the signs, symbols, and codes employed in the performance
• Psychoanalytic analysis uncovers the latent desires, fears, and conflicts expressed in the performance
• Ideological analysis interrogates the political, social, and cultural values embedded in the performance

Historical Context and Evolution

• 1910s-1920s: Futurist and Dadaist performances challenged traditional art forms and embraced absurdity
• 1930s-1940s: Bauhaus and Black Mountain College integrated performance into interdisciplinary art education
• 1950s-1960s: Happenings and Fluxus events blurred the boundaries between art and life
• 1970s: Feminist and body art performances explored gender, sexuality, and identity
• 1980s: Postmodern performances appropriated and deconstructed cultural symbols and narratives
• 1990s: Relational aesthetics emphasized social interaction and audience participation in performances
• 2000s-present: Globalization and digital technologies have expanded the reach and diversity of performance art

Contemporary Practices

• Site-specific performances engage with the unique history, architecture, and environment of a particular location
• Participatory performances invite the audience to actively contribute to the creation and experience of the artwork
• Durational performances unfold over an extended period, testing the endurance of both the performer and the audience
• Intermedial performances integrate multiple media, such as video, sound, and digital technologies
• Activist performances address social, political, and environmental issues to raise awareness and inspire change
• Autobiographical performances draw upon the artist's personal experiences, memories, and identities
• Collaborative performances involve multiple artists working together to create a shared experience
• Virtual performances use online platforms and digital tools to create and disseminate performance art

Controversial Performances

• Chris Burden's "Shoot" (1971) involved the artist being shot in the arm by an assistant
• Vito Acconci's "Seedbed" (1972) featured the artist masturbating under a gallery ramp while vocalizing his fantasies
• Carolee Schneemann's "Interior Scroll" (1975) involved the artist reading from a scroll extracted from her vagina
• Ron Athey's "Four Scenes in a Harsh Life" (1994) included self-mutilation and bloodletting rituals
• Guillermo Gómez-Peña's "The Couple in the Cage" (1992) satirized colonial exhibitions of indigenous peoples
• Pussy Riot's "Punk Prayer" (2012) staged a protest performance in a Moscow cathedral, leading to their arrest
• Pyotr Pavlensky's "Fixation" (2013) involved the artist nailing his scrotum to Red Square in protest of political oppression
• Milo Moiré's "Mirror Box" (2016) invited the public to touch her naked body through a mirrored box

Impact on Society and Culture

• Challenges societal norms, taboos, and conventions, provoking critical reflection and dialogue
• Gives voice to marginalized identities and communities, fostering empathy and understanding
• Raises awareness about social, political, and environmental issues, inspiring activism and change
• Expands the boundaries of art, pushing the limits of what is considered aesthetically and conceptually valid
• Democratizes art by emphasizing participation, collaboration, and accessibility
• Encourages experimentation, innovation, and interdisciplinary approaches to art-making
• Reflects and shapes cultural values, beliefs, and practices, serving as a mirror and catalyst for society
• Provokes strong emotional responses, from awe and inspiration to shock and controversy, sparking public debate