How to Collect Performance Art Preserving Performance and Staged Art Can Be Like Trying to Keep Smoke in Your Pocket

THE ART NEWSPAPER ART BASEL DAILY EDITION 10 JUNE 2009 5 Collecting How to collect performance art Preserving performance and staged art can be like trying to keep smoke in your pocket. So what’s the best way to begin? How to collect performance art has was only completed when the gold leaf umentation of his work (it is even become a subject of a lively debate for was thrown into the river Seine and the acquired by verbal contract in front of museums and increasingly private col- receipt burnt. But if interventions such witnesses), also specified that in this lectors—as an Art Basel Conversation as Klein’s are comments on the com- case no single collector could buy all tomorrow will demonstrate (see box, modification of art, Goldberg also says 100 words. right). Klaus Biesenbach, chief curator they can be ironic statements against the Others, such as London-based collec- of Media and Performance Art at the artist’s works becoming “relics in the tor Valeria Napoleone, who specialises Museum of Modern Art, New York museum”. Performance art can give in women artists including Spartacus (MoMA), who is one of the panellists spaces new life, creating what Goldberg Chetwynd and Vanessa Beecroft, has tomorrow, says the increasing interest calls “performative exhibition aesthet- works that were made during perfor- of both groups is logical. “When you ics”. The cynical may take the opposite mances or that derive from perfor- look back you understand that video art view: that in the last couple of decades mance. But she has not bought “pure” was the ‘golden frame’ of the 1990s. In artists themselves have been perceived performance pieces, which she sees as 2009 we look back at the first ten years to be glamorous “attractions” that peo- “more challenging”. Indeed, Jens of this century and it is performance… ple want to be close to, so to “collect” Hoffmann, director of the CCA Wattis At some point it reached a critical mass artists as performers is a logical step. Institute for Contemporary Art in San and awareness so that now it seems to Francisco, says “maybe because of the be everywhere.” What do you actually buy? booming art market in the last four to MoMA has, in the past year, added five years people may have thought that performance art to its former media Although MoMA buys and raises funds performance posed an alternative to department and acquired new works to commission performance art, Klaus [more commercial] object-based art, but such as the choreographed situation Biesenbach says the museum’s prime [artists aren’t really making] those pure piece Kiss, 2003, by Tino Sehgal and responsibility is to keep pieces pre- body performances that you had in the Roman Ondák’s Measuring the served “live” and in “presentable 1960s and 1970s, like Maria Abramovic Universe, 2007. To air discussions on states” for future gen erations. Teresa or Vito Acconci. Hardly anyone does the difficulties of collecting or staging Calonje, the director of that any more.” these exciting participatory—but some- CollectingLiveArt, based in London, Perhaps unsurprisingly, the definition times contractually problematic— agrees saying: “When you talk about of what counts as “performance” (and works, MoMA has instigated a series of collecting and preserving performance, thus what can be collected and shown), “performance workshops” in the muse- you have to talk about re-staging or re- has expanded. Paul Hobson of the um involving sometimes as many as 75 activating it. Marina Abramovic Contemporary Art Society in the UK, which is working with five museums and galleries on collecting live art, says “even the way that exhibitions create context [can count] as performance”. “When you talk about collecting and preserving More typically, what is purchased is part of the performance, such as video, performance, you have to talk about re-staging drawings, photographs, objects and or re-activating it… How do you protect installations. So collecting performance encompasses all the usual conservation your work being copied, or badly copied?” concerns of fragility of objects, replace- ment of worn or disintegrating parts, —Teresa Calonje, director CollectingLiveArt changing technologies and formats, ephemeral materials, drawings, as well as the form of the “live” and often unpredictable event. Amanda international artists and curators gath- restaged historical performances by Wilkinson of London’s Wilkinson ered together around a table in the other artists and it took her years to get Gallery London (2.1/X7, with Joan museum. These discussions are them- rights and permissions to reproduce the Jonas and Sung Hwan Kim in Art selves a kind of expanded performance works. How do you protect your work Premiere and Clegg & Guttman in Art piece. If the museum is to be seen as the being copied, or badly copied? With old Unlimited) comments that her sale in Johan Persson preserver of ground-breaking pieces pieces there is often little documenta- 2008 of Joan Jonas’s The Juniper Tree requested by the artists themselves. At Ephemeral: Russell Maliphant and then new conversations need to happen, tion but one of the beauties of perfor- (1976/94) to Tate in London involved a the moment, Stephens sees the legal Isaac Julien, Cast No Shadow, 2007 argues Biesenbach. mance is that it remains in the memory “book” of documentation with detailed contract as emerging from the theatrical RoseLee Goldberg, founding director of those who experience it.” instructions minutely explained down environment model to give reassurance of Performa (a non-profit body that sup- Unsurprisingly, collectors such as to the colour and type of apple to be on both sides. “Something we see in the ports and promotes performance art) in the financier Dominic Palfreyman see used in the piece. “Having the docu- theatrical world are contracts on a paid- New York, says that for artists in the the responsibly to “air” works in the mentation gives the museum confi- to-perform basis—and if the artist dies past, coming together, “sitting around in future as a stumbling block, although dence and makes it tangible. I always you carry insurance.” This model also Speakers: Klaus Biesenbach, chief curator, a café in Paris and smoking cigarettes his charitable organisation, the Felix think collectors have to be told with this allows “editions” to be sold, on a terri- Department of Media and Performance Art, and being up all night, is the heart of Trust, has partially funded a number of type of work very clearly that this is torial basis—to museums such as Tate MoMA, New York; RoseLee Goldberg, founding performance”. She says that artists such important exhibitions in this area. “I am how it is,” she says. in London, and MoMA in New York. director and curator, Performa, New York; Anri as Yves Klein and Piero Manzoni were part owner of a Tino Sehgal piece, with In fact, as Sehgal’s work (rather Despite new legal models for the pur- Sala, artist and co-director, “Il Tempo del the forerunners of artists who now sell 99 other people,” he says. “We all counter-intuitively) demonstrates, the chase of performance art, Goldberg sug- Postino”; Robert Wilson, theatre director and performance work. Klein’s “sale cere- bought one word of a 100-word state- form of the legal contract between artist gests that the idea of museums buying it visual artist, New York monies”—the Zone de Sensibilité ment. Since none of us know the others and buyer is becoming ever more is “not so outrageous when you think of Moderator: Jens Hoffmann, director, CCA Wattis Picturale Immatérielle, 1959—was an there is no way of it being performed. I important. Lawyer Mark Stephens, of their contemporary role. To present per- Institute for Contemporary Arts, San Francisco elaborate exchange ritual in which the only know my word is word number London firm Finers Stephens Innocent, formance and provide a meeting place Venue: Festsaal (Hall 1.0), 11 June, 10am- artist gave the purchaser a receipt for the four in the sequence. The word is given is looking at the ways in which contracts for people is wonderful, people want an 11.30am non-existent, “spiritual” work of art, orally and I have to remember it.” are being drawn up between artists and exciting relationship with art.” receiving gold leaf in return. The ritual Sehgal, who famously forbids any doc- buyers, as this is increasingly being Jean Wainwright Robert Wilson on his early influences and patrons The Art Newspaper: Museums and private museum installations, architectural design, TAN: What was the first work of art that you collectors are increasingly collecting theatre, dance and opera—I see it all as basically sold and who was it to? performance art. What do you attribute one concern. Marcel Breuer said: “In the detail RW: When I was 21 or 22 I made a rather large this to? of the chair I designed are all my aesthetics. The abstract gestural painting in violent, shocking Robert Wilson: I think they are often of the same aesthetics that go into designing a building. colour. A friend of mine brought a playwright frame of mind of preserving tradition. [Writer They are all the aesthetics that go into designing and poet named Ethan Ayer to see my work. He and impresario] Lincoln Kirstein said: “Modern a city.” Albert Einstein said when asked by a bought it for $400. This was a fortune for me at dance will have no tradition.” journalist: “There is no need for me to repeat the time. A week later he came back with a TAN: Would you consider selling one of your what I just said, as it is all one thought.” An friend of his from New Jersey who was an artist performances/operas/art collaborations in the artist’s work is like a continuum, like the tree and they looked at my drawings.

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