What is performance art? There were many stereotypes about performance art. Most would say that it involves minorities, artists would perform naked, performers are either homosexuals or people with a problem to talk about, the artists are self-indulgent, the performances are autobiographies, or that even the props or costumes used do not relate to the performance. But these are just stereotypes of the characteristics of performance art. What’s special about performance art is that everything is live: the live presence of the performer and the live presence of the audience. Performance art stands out, as it is a type of art that points out the differences between what is being performed and what is being interpreted.
Unlike theatre, performance art is not acting, and it is not artificial. There is also a difference between the form and content of performance art and theatre. The form of theatre is really dependent on the content of the performance where one can say, “this play is about…” while in performance art; there are endless possibilities of the content and form of the performance. In other words, performance art is a way of improvisation. Performance art is also dependent on where the artist I is performing, while in theatre, there is a fixed environment or the environment doesn’t matter at all, the play will go on as planned.
In performance art, the content is very important to lead and create a form. An example of this would be in December 1997 where disabled citizens were protesting in front of British parliament. The protest was against the government’s proposition on cutting funds to the disabled’s benefits. As a result, an armless and legless man painted the pavement red with his stump. This was engraved in the memory of the public. What this man did was a type of performance art. He sent a strong message to the people and it was effective.
Performance art was invented by the suffragettes which created a feminist movement acknowledging the issues the women were having during the late 19th century. These performances by these women were done as small plays to bring across messages about the issues. As a result of the suffragettes, performance art was born and continues to live on till this day.
Performance art was invented by the suffragettes which created a feminist movement acknowledging the issues the women were having during the late 19th century. These performances by these women were done as small plays to bring across messages about the issues. As a result of the suffragettes, performance art was born and continues to live on till this day.
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