performance art

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Performance art. An art form combining elements of theatre, music, and the visual arts. It is related to the Happening (the two terms are sometimes used synonymously), but Performance art is usually more carefully programmed and generally does not involve audience participation.

The tradition of Performance art can be traced back to the Futurists, Dadaists, and Surrealists, who often staged humorous or provocative events to promote their work or ideas, then through such activities as Georges Mathieu painting in front of an audience in the 1950s and Yves Klein directing nude models smeared with paint in the early 1960s. However, it was only in the later 1960s and particularly in the 1970s that Performance art became recognized as a category of art in itself (the first quotation cited under the term in the Oxford English Dictionary dates from 1971). ‘At that time [the 1970s]', RoseLee Goldberg writes, ‘Conceptual art was in its heyday and performance was often a demonstration, or an execution, of [its] ideas … Art spaces devoted to performance sprang up in the major international art centres, museums sponsored festivals, art colleges introduced performance courses, and specialist magazines appeared’ (Performance Art: From Futurism to the Present, 1988).

The form and tone of Performances have varied enormously. The Vienna Actionists, for example, cultivated sadomasochism and scatology (the abuse of the performer's body is something that often occurs also in Body art, with which Performance art sometimes overlaps). The British Performance artist Stuart Brisley is another whose work has often focused on self-inflicted discomfort and humiliation, but in Britain the field has more often been characterized by whimsicality (in the 1970s there was a fad for Performance groups with quaint names such as John Bull Puncture Repair Kit and for wacky newsworthy stunts; in 1975, for example, the three-man Ddart Performance Group walked around East Anglia in a 150–mile circle with a pole attached to the members' heads).

Performance art has also been used as an adjunct to rock music ( Laurie Anderson is the most noted exponent) and as a vehicle for political dissent, as well as for the exploration of private fantasies. Among the artists in whose work it has played a large role are Joseph Beuys, Gilbert & George, and Bruce Nauman.

The British painter Giles Auty (1934– ), a strong critic of the world of contemporary art, writes: ‘My own feelings about so-called Performance Art are that it is often too lacking in art, skill, relevance or sense … The best performance artists I have yet seen were the Leicester Square buskers of the 'fifties’ (The Art of Self Deception, 1977).

Performance art. An art form combining elements of theatre, music, and the visual arts. It is related to the happening (the two terms are sometimes used synonymously), but Performance art is usually more carefully programmed and generally does not involve audience participation. The tradition of Performance art can be traced back to the Futurists, Dadaists, and Surrealists, who often staged humorous or provocative events to promote their work or ideas, then through such activities as Georges Mathieu painting in front of an audience in the 1950s and Yves Klein directing nude models smeared with paint in the early 1960s. However, it was only in the later 1960s and particularly in the 1970s that Performance art became recognized as a category of art in itself. ‘At that time’, RoseLee Goldberg writes, ‘Conceptual art was in its heyday and performance was often a demonstration, or an execution, of [its] ideas…Art spaces devoted to performance sprang up in the major international art centres, museums sponsored festivals, art colleges introduced performance courses, and specialist magazines appeared’ (Performance Art: From Futurism to the Present, 1988).

The form and tone of Performances have varied enormously. Some practitioners have cultivated sado-masochism and scatology, for example the Vienna Actionists (the abuse of the performer's body is something that often occurs also in Body art, with which Performance art sometimes overlaps). In Britain, however, the field has more often been characterized by whimsicality (in the 1970s there was a fad for Performance groups with quaint names and for wacky newsworthy stunts). Performance art has also been used as an adjunct to rock music (the American Laurie Anderson (1947– ) is the most noted exponent) and as a vehicle for political dissent, as well as for the exploration of private fantasies. Among the artists in whose work it has played a large role are Joseph Beuys and Gilbert & George.

Performance art. An art form combining elements of theatre, music, and the visual arts. It is related to the happening (the two terms are sometimes used synonymously), but Performance art is usually more carefully programmed and generally does not involve audience participation. The tradition of Performance art can be traced back to the Futurists, Dadaists, and Surrealists, who often staged humorous or provocative events to promote their work or ideas, then through such activities as Georges Mathieu painting in front of an audience in the 1950s and Yves Klein directing nude models smeared with paint in the early 1960s. However, it was only in the later 1960s and particularly in the 1970s that Performance art became recognized as a category of art in itself. ‘At that time’, RoseLee Goldberg writes, ‘Conceptual art was in its heyday and performance was often a demonstration, or an execution, of [its] ideas…Art spaces devoted to performance sprang up in the major international art centres, museums sponsored festivals, art colleges introduced performance courses, and specialist magazines appeared’ (Performance Art: From Futurism to the Present, 1988). The form and tone of Performances have varied enormously. Some practitioners have cultivated sadomasochism and scatology (the abuse of the performer's body is something that often occurs also in Body art, with which Performance art sometimes overlaps). In Britain, however, the field has more often been characterized by whimsicality (in the 1970s there was a fad for Performance groups with quaint names and for wacky newsworthy stunts). Performance art has also been used as an adjunct to rock music (the American Laurie Anderson (1947– ) is the most noted exponent) and as a vehicle for political dissent, as well as for the exploration of private fantasies. Among the artists particularly associated with Performance art are Joseph Beuys and Gilbert and George.

performance art multimedia art form originating in the 1970s in which performance is the dominant mode of expression. Perfomance art may incorporate such elements as instrumental or electronic music, song, dance, television, film, sculpture, spoken dialogue, and storytelling. Its roots lie in early 20th-century modernist experiments with mixed media, particularly in Dada performances. The direct antecedent of performance art, however, can be found in the happenings of the late 1950s and the 1960s. Among the most obvious differences between the two is that the later movement tends to be much less spontaneous in nature than the earlier and that happenings were almost always created by visual artists, whereas performance artists generally have more varied backgrounds, often in theater, writing, or dance.

Primarily an avant-garde form, performance art is often emotional and topical, frequently dealing with political and personal matters and with issues such as race, class, and feminism. Probably the best-known contemporary American performance artist is Laurie Anderson ; others include Nam June Paik (also involved earlier with happenings), Michael Smith, Vito Acconci, Carolee Schneeman, Martha Wilson, and Marina Abramovic. Often classified as performance artists are such monologist-writers Eric Bogosian, Spalding Gray, Karen Finley, Anna Deavere Smith, and John Leguizamo. The form enjoyed a widespread revival in the early 21st cent., with museums and galleries restaging works originally created in the 1970s and also presenting new examples of the art.

Bibliography: See G. Battcock and R. Nickas ed., The Art of Performance (1983); M. Roth ed., The Amazing Decade: Women and Performance Art in America, 1970–1980 (1983); R. Goldberg, Performance Art: From Futurism to the Present (1988); H. M. Sayre, The Object of Performance (1989); C. Carr, On Edge: Performance at the End of the Twentieth Century (1993); P. Phelan, Unmarked: The Politics of Performance (1993); and E. Diamond, ed., Performance and Cultural Politics (1996).

Performance Art. Although the emphasis in these loosely constructed, multidimensional programs may sometimes be on music, poetry, dance, political speeches, visual art, or other forms, there is something inherently theatrical about them because they are always performed. The very nature of performance art defies strict definitions, but in each case the artist's expression of an idea must take place before a live audience. A painting viewed is considered too stagnant for the genre, but a painting being created is performance art. While many pieces are sociopolitical, outspoken, controversial, and confrontational, there is much in performance art that is personal and intimate. Some involve a “cast” of artists while others are solo projects. The creator of the art and the performer are usually the same person, even if it is scripted in a somewhat traditional manner. And even as such theatrical elements as scenery, costumes, sound effects, lighting, dialogue, and songs may be used, often performance art occurs in found spaces in an impromptu fashion rather than in traditional theatre buildings. Among the most well‐known performance artists, many of whom began in traditional theatre, include Laurie Anderson, Eric Bogosian, Chong Ping, Martha Clark, Ethyl Eichelberger, Karen Finley, Richard Foreman, Tehching Hsieh, Holly Hughes, Alan Kaprow, Suzanne Lacy, Tim Miller, Meredith Monk, Linda Montano, Rachel Rosenthal, and Carolee Schneermann.

performance art Events that take place before an audience, but which defy the traditional definitions of drama and music. Arguably originating in the USA in the 1960s, performance art is often visually oriented. It tends to be multi-disciplinary, and sometimes improvised or spontaneous.