Counter-Landscapes: Performative Actions from the 1970S - Now
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Counter-Landscapes: Performative Actions from the 1970s - Now by Jennifer McCabe A Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy Approved April 2020 by the Graduate Supervisory Committee: Betsy Fahlman, Chair Meredith Hoy Dominic Asmall Willsdon ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY May 2020 ABSTRACT Counter-Landscapes: Performative Actions from the 1970s – Now presents a group of artists working in both natural and urban environments whose work exploits the power of place to address issues of social, environmental, and personal transformation. Through a focused selection of key works made between 1970 and 2019, which extend beyond traditional categories, Counter-Landscapes illuminates how the methodologies created by women artists in the 1970s and 1980s are employed by artists today, both men and women alike. Developing a practice of performative actions, these artists countered the culture that surrounded and oppressed them by embodying the live elements of performance art in order to push for social change. Looking back to the 1960s and the counter-culture mindset of the times, I approach the histories of land, performance, and conceptual art through feminist studies. Then I apply the same feminist approach to philosophical histories of landscape, place, and space. Through a discussion of an extensive range of works by 25 artists, this research seeks to demonstrate the indelible influence of feminist art practice on contemporary art. It brings the work of an innovative generation of women artists—Marina Abramović, Eleanor Antin, Agnes Denes, VALIE EXPORT, Rebecca Horn, Leslie Labowitz, Suzanne Lacy, Ana Mendieta, Adrian Piper, Lotty Rosenfeld, Bonnie Ora Sherk, Beth Ames Swartz, and Mierle Laderman Ukeles— together with more recent work by artists who have adopted and extended their methods. These artists, both male and female, include Allora & Calzadilla, Francis Alÿs, Angela Ellsworth, Ana Teresa Fernández, Maria Hupfield, Saskia Jordá, Christian Philipp Müller, Pope.L, Sarah Cameron Sunde, Zhou Tao, and Antonia Wright. i ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Many people were integral to the success of Counter-Landscapes, and I would like to offer them my heartfelt thanks here. First and foremost, I would like to thank the artists for their inspiring work: Marina Abramović, Allora & Calzadilla, Francis Alÿs, Eleanor Antin, Agnes Denes, Angela Ellsworth, VALIE EXPORT, Ana Teresa Fernández, Rebecca Horn, Maria Hupfield, Saskia Jordá, Leslie Labowitz, Suzanne Lacy, Ana Mendieta, Christian Philipp Müller, Adrian Piper, Pope.L, Lotty Rosenfeld, Bonnie Ora Sherk, Sarah Cameron Sunde, Beth Ames Swartz, Zhou Tao, Mierle Laderman Ukeles, and Antonia Wright. Sincere thanks to my committee chair, Betsy Fahlman, who offered encouragement, critical feedback, and inspiration all along the way. Thank you to my other committee members, Meredith Hoy and Dominic Asmall Willsdon, who helped me shape ideas and bring form to the writing. I am grateful to Natasha Boas, who served as an unofficial member of my dissertation committee and continues to be my intellectual co-conspirator and dear friend. Finally, my heartfelt gratitude to my family: my husband, Julio César Morales, who has been my steadfast supporter, offering unconditional encouragement since I curated my first exhibition at Queens Nails in San Francisco many years ago. Thank you to my children, Prado and Enzo, who have endured years of me juggling motherhood, school, and work. They bring joy, love, and smiles to my life, which would be all work without them. And endless gratitude to my parents for their unconditional love and support through all of life’s twists and turns. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................ iv CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................ 1 2 A CRACK IN THE ART WORLD’S WALLS: WOMEN ARTISTS IN THE 1960s-1970s ................................................................................................... 5 3 PLACELESSNESS: POLITICS AND PLACE IN PERFORMANCE ART ... 10 4 EARLY PRACTITIONERS (1970s-1980s) .................................................. 15 5 NEXT GENERATION (1990s-2000s) .......................................................... 39 6 CONTEMPORARY WORKS NOW (2010-2020) ........................................ 47 7 CONCLUSION ........................................................................................... 58 BIBLIOGRAPHY ........................................................................................................ 60 iii LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 1. Agnes Denes, Wheatfield—A Confrontation, Battery Park Landfill, Downtown Manhattan, with Statue of Liberty Across the Hudson, 1982, 1982, C- print, Copyright Agnes Denes and Courtesy Leslie Tonkonow Artworks + Projects…………………………………...........................................................20 2. Bonnie Ora Sherk, Sitting Still I, 1970, Color Photograph, Courtesy of the Artist………………………………………………………………………..…22 3. Bonnie Ora Sherk, Sitting Still II, 1970, Color Photograph, Courtesy of the Artist…………………………………………………………………………..22 4. Bonnie Ora Sherk, Sitting Still III, 1970, Color Photograph, Courtesy of the Artist………………………………………………..…………………………22 5. Suzanne Lacy and Leslie Labowitz, In Mourning and In Rage, 1977, Performed at Los Angeles City Hall, Two Photographs, Video, and Ephemera, Courtesy of the Artists..…………………………………………….……………………...24 6. Adrian Piper, Catalysis III, 1970, Three Black-and-White Photographs, Generali Foundation Collection—Permanent Loan to the Museum der Moderne Salzburg……………………………………………………………………….25 7. Adrian Piper, Catalysis IV, 1970, Three Black-and-White Photographs, Generali Foundation Collection—Permanent Loan to the Museum der Moderne Salzburg……………………………………………………………………….26 iv Figure Page 8. Rebecca Horn, Moveable Shoulder Extensions (original title: Bewegliche Schulterstäbe), 1971, Feathers, Wood, Fabric and Metal, Tate: Purchased with Assistance from Tate Members 2002……...…………………27 9. VALIE EXPORT, Abrundung II (Round Off II), 1976, Black and White Photograph, Cut Out on Negative, Marieluise Hessel Collection, Hessel Museum of Art, Center for Curatorial Studies, Bard College, Annandale-on- Hudson, New York………………...…………………….……………………28 10. Eleanor Antin, The Wonder of It All, from The King of Solano Beach, 1971–73, Unique Set of Six Black-and-White Photographs, Courtesy of the Artist and Ronald Feldman Gallery, New York………………………..………………...30 11. Mierle Laderman Ukeles, Washing/Tracks/Maintenance: Outside, 1973, Twelve Black-and-White Photographs, Courtesy of the Artist and Ronald Feldman Gallery, New York…………………………………………………..32 12. Ana Mendieta, Volcano, Silueta Series, 1978, Lifetime Color Photograph, Courtesy of The Estate of Ana Mendieta Collection, LLC and Galerie Lelong & Co., New York……………………………………………………………...34 13. Lotty Rosenfeld, Una Milla de Cruces Sobre el Pavimento (A Mile of Crosses on the Pavement), 1979, Black-and-White Photograph, Collection 49 Nord 6 Est – Frac Lorraine…..………………………………………………………..36 v Figure Page 14. Beth Ames Swartz, The Red Sea #1 (from the Series Israel Revisited, Ten Sites), 1980, Fire, Earth, Acrylic, Variegated Gold Leaf, and Mixed Media on Layered Paper, from the Collection of Gary and Diane Tooker, Scottsdale, AZ………………………………………………………………………….….38 15. Pope.L, The Great White Way: 22 miles, 5 years, 1 street (Segment #1: December 29, 2001), 2001–2006, Video Installation, 6:35 Minutes, Courtesy of the Artist and Mitchell-Innes & Nash, New York……...……………………..41 16. Francis Alÿs, Paradox of Praxis I, 1997, Video, 5:00 Minutes, Courtesy of the Artist and David Zwirner, New York...……………………………………….42 17. Christian Philipp Müller, 2562 km, 2005, Video, 9:00 Minutes, Courtesy of the Artist and Georg Kargl Fine Arts, Wien, Austria...…..……………………....43 18. Allora & Calzadilla, Land Mark (Foot Prints) #10, 2001–2002, Photograph, Courtesy of the Artists, KADIST Collection, and Galerie Chantal Crousel, Paris……………………………………………………………………..……44 19. Marina Abramović, Looking at the Mountains, 2010, Color Pigment Print, Courtesy of the Artist and Lisson Gallery, London……………………45 20. Ana Teresa Fernández, Of Bodies and Borders 3 (Entering the Outcome) (Performance Documentation), 2018, Oil on Canvas, Courtesy of the Artist and Gallery Wendi Norris, San Francisco…………………………………………49 vi Figure Page 21. Sarah Cameron Sunde, 36.5 / North Sea Katwijk Aan Zee, The Netherlands, 2015, Live Performance; Time-Lapse Video, 12:46 Hours, Courtesy of the Artist………………………………………….……………………………….50 22. Zhou Tao, After Reality, 2013, Single Channel HD Video, 14:21 Minutes, Courtesy of the Artist and Vitamin Creative Space, Bejing…………..………51 23. Antonia Wright, Under the Water Was Sand, Then Rocks, Miles of Rocks, Then Fire, 2016, Single-Channel Video, Projection, 2:20 Minutes, Plants and Fragrance, Courtesy of the Artist and Locust Projects, Miami………………52 24. Angela Ellsworth, Is This the Place, 2006, Twenty-Mile Walk from Downtown Phoenix to Mesa, Arizona, Photographic Documentation and Costumes, Props and Costumes Designed by Chequamegon Bollinger, Photo Credits: Val Valenzuela and Nona Siegel, Courtesy of the Artist…………………...……..53 25. Saskia Jordá, Zona y Cuerpos en Reclamación (Disputed Territories – Disputed Bodies), 2019, Wood, Felt, Thread, and Cotton Yarn, Courtesy of the Artist...54 26. Maria Hupfield, The One Who Keeps On Giving, 2017, Two-Channel Video