Post 6-Performance Art

 Performance Art, an Introduction

1."Whereas painting and sculpture relied on expressive form and content to convey meaning, performance art forced viewers to engage with a real person who could feel cold and hunger, fear and pain, excitement and embarrassment—just like them."

This statement essentially sums up the general concept and idea of performance, detailing how it is used to make human conncetion and convey a sense of relatability.

2."For feminist artists in particular, using their body in live performance proved effective in challenging historical representations of women, made mostly by male artists for male patrons."

I find it fascinating that performance art had such an impact for female artists and the way they're veiwed in the broader art world/industry.

Yoko Ono's Art of Defiance

1."Around the time of Ono’s concert, Maciunas came up with a name for this kind of art: Fluxus. When he told Ono, she said it was a mistake to give the art a group name. That is how the Japanese art world worked; every artist was identified with a group. She didn’t want to belong to a group."

Though I understand why Ono wouldn't have wanted to be asscociated with any particular group, it makes sense that she was. Her unconventional concert and the artists who performed with her gave rise to new forms of expression, and such expression must be categorized.

2."But she does share something with Maciunas. She is a utopian. She would be happy if the whole world could be a Fluxus island."

As overly ambitious as Maciunas was, especially when it came to developing the self-sufficient island in question, I understand where he was coming from. Both Maciunas and Ono yearned for a peaceful world with no wars or corruption, a world many people of my generation would find ideal. With all the violence and hate we see in today's world, many people probably hold utopian views akin to Ono's themselves.

The Art of Activism-Chapter 3

1."But activists throughout history have used creativity and culture to wage their struggles for social change. And from the activists and organizers who came before us we can learn principles of artistic activism to employ today."

This statement is completely accurate and well-put, as many artists, myself included, have the oppurtunity to study the past and get inspired. Such inspiration and the broader understanding of how social change was achieved through art in the past allows for the same thing to happen in the future.

2."He could have stood outside and harangued the passersby with his opinions on keeping sacred places sacred, the ancient equivalent of the activist on the soapbox, but instead he demonstrated his politics through a spectacular act of civil disobedience."

As a Christian, the concept of calling Jesus an activist both amuses and intrigues me. In a way, Jesus was indeed an activist, advocating for peace and understanding among the Jewish people, and taking matters into his own hands(i.e wrecking the temple's marketplace) when wanting to prove his stance/beliefs in a more confrontational way.

My personal description of performance art:

As someone who actually learned of performance art last year/semester, I would say it's the most outlandish art form in existence. It can be absurd yet impactful, as the artists performing share important messages while "humilating" themselves in public/the eyes of an audience.