Can all human performances be defined as art? The following is a brief definition of performance art: Using the body as the basic material for performance to communicate with objects and environments through an artist’s own experience while expressing a non-visual aesthetic connotation. Essentially, performance art is a form of art created by an artist’s thoughts and actions.
Performance art, which is a unique phenomenon in modern society, is rooted in western culture. Its founder is a Frenchman called Kolaen, who created human pens by falling from a tall building in 1961.
Performance artists express their views towards the world in exaggerated ways. While many of their performances are beautiful, some are ugly; both are uncommon in normal life.
Since performance art contradicts China’s aesthetic perspective, moral standard and social traditions, it has stirred much controversy. During its development, some people choose extreme forms of self-expression, such as self-mutilation and self-abuse, to challenge the limits of humanity and morality.
Spreading from western countries, performance art emerged in China in 1985 during the Neo-Art Period. Young artists who opposed art and culture in the 1980s tried to obtain spiritual liberation, which ran against the spiritual oppression of the Cultural Revolution.
Performance art in the 1990s was classified into two forms: social activities joined by artists and individual performances exhibiting an artist’s living state.
The former involved many social aspects and a large number of participants. However, since this kind of performance encountered resistance from society, markets and law, thus became difficult to organize large-scale activities.
Artists, therefore, became more in favor of the latter. Some prominent creations include: Zhao Bandi, who talked about environmental issues with a toy panda; Su Yong, who courted plants on Valentine’s Day; and Wang Jin, who married a mule. Such behavior was considered quite grotesque.
As an art form in the multicultural society, performance art has entered our lives naturally. However, when life is exhibited as art, we are surprised and our sense and spiritual limits are greatly challenged. Performance artists inquire via art: Who are we? What are we doing here and where are we going? Performance art has made defining art difficult.
(Source: chinaculture.org)
