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1 Future of Imagination 8 catalogue is published on the occasion of the performance art event Future of Imagination 8 (FOI 8) at Goodman Arts Centre, 90 Goodman Contents Road, Singapore 439053. Event dates: 01 - 05 August 2012 Performance Art and the Quest for Authenticity By Lee Wen 6 Published on August 2012 “What’s ‘Left’?” “Not ‘Right’” The opinions expressed in this publication are the sole responibility of the writers and - a concise overview of Performance Art in Poland not the organizer. By Paulina Kempisty (with consultation of Waldemar Tatarczuk) 11 Let’s Get Back to the Language of Performance Art Front Cover: By Zhou Bin 18 Marla Bendini, collaboration with Ezzam Rahman Surrogate N°4: Twenty mattresses & twenty eiderdowns Urgently seeking V….. Vitamin, Visibility, Vitality Singapore, 2011 - Performance Art in Vietnam Photo by Lydia Wong, RIOT LOCO By Tran Luong 20 Anything Can Happen between Now and Then… By Veronika Radulovic 24 Printed by Expressprint Artists Biographies 31 © Future of Imagination, artists, curators and writers Contributors 47 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a Programme 51 retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission from the Organizing Team & Credits 52 publisher and the copyright owners. ISBN: 978-981-07-2990-5 2 3 Essays 4 5 Performance Art and the Quest for Authenticity ceptance and consensus may be due to time-frame and body instead of By Lee Wen society’s changing perception of the intrin- symbolic images of narratives sic cultural values and potential contribu- that involves personal, private, enlightened by liberating ideas in tion that an ephemeral work in the form of ethnic or emotional meanings. By some unforeseen serendipitous design sociology, psychology and philosophy performance or any other time based art the artists invited to this year’s “Future of influenced artists from 1960’s in may have and deserving support. How- Advocates on both sides tend to claim Imagination 8” are from Poland, Vietnam embarking on strategies of art production ever detractors suspiciously look at them superior or purity, which are merely different and China. One hasten to see them that challenged conventional definitions of with being subverted by market enterprise positions on a wide spectrum of art forms as countries with differing commitment art and culture. 1 The idea or context of the entrepreneurs to create possibilities of that performance art stand on. As much to performance art almost like some work became of utmost importance more profitable transactions if not becoming as any art form may also offer authentic mathematic equation not discovered than the resulting material form or object, pawns for the propaganda of institutions expressions of human consciousness, yet in which the other factors are their which was usually “secondary, lightweight, that represent the powers that be and the performance may be more suitable in commitments to communism and global ephemeral, cheap, unpretentious”. 2 The established status quo. our time of extreme individualism and capitalism. This has prompted our forum experimenting responded to new materials may manifest an immense permutation of discussion we are planning to be entitled: and inventions at the same time sprouting Contextual derivations creativity and imaginative expression. “Solid Air: – comparative reflections on hybrid forms, exploring alternative spaces the intertwining of performance art and and locations, opening new directions in The word authentic derived from It would be more fruitful if we learn politics.” A play of words derived from terms of collaborations, ignoring prevalent Greek origins referred to the “one who to discern the nature of each artist’s the quote taken from the Communist judgments of values based on market accomplishes”. It describes an action that motivation in presenting the performance Manifesto: “All that is solid melts into air, demands for stable enduring qualities refers to embodiment and participation and evaluate its level of authenticity in all that is holy is profaned, and man is at for preservation or commoditization in life, adhering to fidelity, actuality and relation to her personal, individual as last compelled to face with sober senses considerations. Together with conceptual fact, compatibility with a certain source or well as social, historical and cultural his real condition of life.” art, process art, land art, and other time origin, accordance with usage or tradition, background. Works of art in the form based art, performance art appeared to be a complete sincerity and devotion without of traditional media as objects are said The quote to me is a poetic call for motivated by a driven intention in seeking feigning or hypocrisy. At the risk of to possess nominal and expressive authenticity that strikes a chord with temporal and ephemeral nature of time- being seen as narcissistic and attention- authenticity. Nominal authenticity is the the cause of performance art surely. based medium as an intrinsic value in seeking, performance art recommend correct identification of the authorship, or The question underlying many long itself indicating its authentic purity. a directness of the artist presenting source and ownership history of an object, drawn discussions and conferences of himself as participant when producing ensuring that, as an object of aesthetic how and why we do performance art The initial rejection by mainstream cultural and presenting the work itself. The creator experience should be properly identified. or participate in producing this obscure institutions and academia and sometimes and creation are one. This directness not However most of our discussions deal activity and elusive entity seems to be even severe official sanctions gave the only demands courage of overcoming with its expressive authenticity when the search for authenticity. This question new propositions added credibility if not stage fright but also the historical cultural appreciating or discussing the nature enter our discussions often disguised heroic stances of radicalism and stoic re- difference of presenting one self in art or character of the artwork as a true or hidden itself behind related but sistance. These may somewhat become making even as the idea of painting expression of an individual’s or a society’s 4 secondary issues such as the definition troublesome historical baggage throwing realistic images of human and in particular values and beliefs. The analysis when and differentiation between various forms, suspicions on its once shining pride if not self portraiture may be so alien that most applied in performance art sometimes methodology, spontaneity and hybridity proof of authenticity when one of its initial countries in Asia only started manifesting become body specific, even including 3 of working strategies, or the politics of motivations was a conscious disregard performance art in the late 1980’s. intimate details and privacy of the artist. art sponsorship, etc. Often initiated by an for commoditization. Yet under growing intentional exercise as if to claim a special dominance of consumerism and market In loosely roving round table open discus- Historical authenticity unique status for performance art in order capitalism and the desire to acknowledge sions on performance art often get caught to regain its edge on our jadedness over significant works and preserving historical up in the two recurring questions that tend The evolution of human consciousness did conceptually explained, ideologically bias, memory by transferring their ephemeral to harp on repetitively: not happen in isolation to form homogenous and inadequately historicized perception into longer lasting media like photogra- 1. Performance art is the antithesis civilizations as most of us imagine and like 5 of art and culture. phy, film, video and sound recordings. of theatre, and closer to real life. to claim. Most civilizations would proudly The changed status of conceptual, perfor- 2. Performance art advocates an claim their own originality and likely to also Displaced post war baby-boomers mance art with its inevitable gradual ac- objective use of material, space, lean towards xenophobic inclinations and 6 7 differentiating those outside their borders day we had rain that forced us to work in the historical context and how individuals not allowed or accepted in Hanoi University as uncivilized barbarians. Thus when we the hotel we were staying which ironically invent the varied strategies juxtaposed of Fine Arts, the most prestigious art compare origins of performance art in had a police post in the corner of the within constrains and possibility of local institution of art education in Vietnam, different countries it is more likely to be in same building. Hence it was unbelievable contexts. The artists sometimes borrowed performance art seem to be more actively a quagmire not only due to its iconoclastic that we ran from Beijing like underground ideas as springboard to give examples of explored by artists in Hanoi, in formerly avant-garde ideals but before all else being refugees and presented performances how hybrid attitude manifested as actions North Vietnam. Veronika Radulovic as accused of imbibing foreign derivative right in front of policemen without much revealing authentic images beyond a guest lecturer had helped introduced influences that are of no relation