Performance art is like the ugly stepchild of the art world. The essay “Performance: A Hidden History”really drives this home. Usually one thinks “theater” when they think performance art, but that is not necessarily the case. Performance art is different because it is about more then just wearing costumes and taking on a persona. The audience-performer relationship is more powerful in performance art and it often conveys a much deeper message then merely a story. I was unaware that the history of performance art went back so far but I was interested to learn of its political roots and how far it has come in such a short time.
The film Marina Abramovic: The Artist is Present was very powerful in its portrayal of performance art. One line struck me in particular “In performance art it’s a knife and its your own blood, in theater it’s a fake knife and ketchup.” This pretty much sums up how performance art cannot simply be theater. Marina’s methods of art are unconventional and while part of me disagrees with some of her practices, they are hers to carry out, not mine. I think that might be why performance art can be so appealing to people. Here is this person taking part in something so socially unacceptable that you could never in your wildest dreams think of doing it, especially in front of a crowd, but here she is. She is really a rare breed and I applaud her artistic prowess.
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