Performances - 71 examples

Performance art is a unique art form whereby the art is exhibited or performed live, often by the artists themselves. In some cases, the artist presents the art “live” with performers or collaborators.

The art style has had a serious influence on the avant-garde art movement throughout the twentieth century and often played a crucial role in the development of Dada, Happenings, and Futurism, amongst other radical art movements.

Early performance art was born out of body art off the back of the fall in the popularity of abstract expressionism and modernism in the 1960s. Some of the renowned performance artists include Yoko Ono, Yves Klein, Chris Burden and Vito Acconci.

Roman Ondák’s Measuring the Universe – 90,000 people created this artwork

Installations, Performances / 5 minutes of reading
Conceptual artists, particularly in Europe, have a rather exceptional and extremely rich history that spans decades. Nowadays, conceptual art is still one of the most prominent art movements. In the early days, conceptual art did not play a prominent scene and would often thrive as an underground movement. Although artists have been experimenting with …

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Jennifer Rubell - Ivanka Vacuuming, 2019, performance, Flashpoint Gallery, Washington D.C. feat

Ivanka vacuuming & Why throwing her crumbs makes you feel powerful

Performances / 6 minutes of reading
Live art is not common, yet it is the only form of expression that would bring out a real-life perception. Ivanka Vacuuming is one of such artworks, created by an American artist Jennifer Rubell. In the live-streamed performance, a model look-alike of Ivanka Trump is recorded vacuuming crumbs from a carpet. The art piece, …

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Lin Yilin - Safely Maneuvering across Lin He Road, 1995, performance, Guangzhou, China feat

Lin Yilin’s performance – Safely Maneuvering Across Lin He Road

Performances, Video Art / 4 minutes of reading
Lin Yilin Lin Yilin needs no introductions in the world of performance art. As one of the most well-known Chinese artists, Yilin has made a name for himself for his contemporary interventions and performance pieces that often criticize China’s extreme urbanization, modernization, commercial globalization, as well as its geopolitical conflicts. Lin was born in Guangzhou, …

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Xu-Zhen-–-In-Just-a-Blink-of-an-Eye-20052021-installation-view-K11-MUSEA-2021-image-courtesy-of-K11-Art-Foundation-feat

Xu Zhen’s In just a blink of an eye – Defying the laws of physics?

Performances, Sculptures / 5 minutes of reading
Have you ever seen one of those perfectly timed photos that capture the exact moment someone begins to fall on their bum? With modern technology, it is not hard to capture that “perfect moment”. However, capturing that “perfect moment” in a live performance is nearly impossible; unless you are Xu Zhen. Chinese artist Xu …

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Why Gordon Matta-Clark cut holes in buildings – Conical Intersect

Architecture, Performances / 5 minutes of reading
For the 1975 Paris Biennale, Gordon Matta-Clark made big cone-shaped holes in two buildings near the Centre Georges Pompidou. The action took place in Les Halles, a neighborhood that was being demolished. Matta-Clark aimed to permit passers-by to peek through to the Centre Pompidou while it had been under construction. Conical Intersect (1975) was …

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Gilbert & George’s Singing sculpture – Breaking down this barrier

Performances, Sculptures / 3 minutes of reading
Who is Gilbert & George? The artist duo of George Passmore and Gilbert Proesch – famously known as Gilbert and George – is undoubtedly one of the most long-standing and prolific collaborations of the post-conceptual art era. Perhaps the pair is best recognized for its wall-to-wall, colorful paintings, such as The Tuileries (1974). Living Sculptures …

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That time when Maurizio Cattelan posed as Picasso

Performances / 2 minutes of reading
What is Maurizio Cattelan known for Maurizio Cattelan’s works have earned him a reputation as a provocateur and a prankster. He also created some of the most memorable pieces in contemporary art. Cattelan’s art covers a range of subjects, from culture to history and religion. His sculptures arouse humor and controversy by criticizing societal evils, …

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Some of Vito Acconci’s most influential performance pieces

Performances, Video Art / 5 minutes of reading
Who was Vito Acconci? Vito Acconci is one of the most influential American artists. He was a poet, an architect, and a pioneer of performance art. Acconci is commemorated in art history for his artworks, including the ones we are going to discuss in this article. Influence His artwork involved crossing the boundaries, including the …

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Keith Arnatt’s Self Burial – Watch this artist disappear

Performances, Photography / 3 minutes of reading
Keith Arnatt (1930-2008) is renowned for his conceptual work. Arguably, his most well-known and recognizable work is titled Self Burial (1969). Self Burial Self Burial is a series of nine photographs, with each depicting Arnatt seemingly disappearing into a hole dug on the ground. Anyone watching the series would conclude that Arnatt is committing …

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