What Do Some Weird Performance Art Actually Mean?

Why did hundreds of exhibitions that could be surprising, interesting, sad, frightening or even funny resort to these methods? of art; an attempt to express an idea, problem, feeling Considering that; Wasn’t there an easier, more understandable way? Is it normal for it to sound funny and ridiculous, or are we looking at it wrong?

The purpose of making art varies depending on what the artist wants to express. Art; While explaining feminist, political and anarchist ideas, ‘not to tell anything’ can also explain. Sometimes we also see that artists do not give meaning to their work; The work can be interpreted with each audience’s own opinion.

The progress of art brings with it the change in the language of expression.

Performance arts, which entered our lives with the Futurists, Dadaists and then Fluxus, are not important for most of us today. meaning, It may be overshadowed by its performance. ‘Is art for society or art for itself?’ Even though we cannot give the answer, we can closely examine and understand the artist performances that continue today.

Let’s start dealing with ‘silence’.

We see Elke Kalupar in performance and Fabian Kalker in music. You may have encountered similar performances recently. What does the performance say, in which the artist is silent and makes movements that we would normally call “mad”?

In the text of this performance, called ‘High-Rise Building Demon’, it is stated that man is in society. taking action and making decisions being questioned. Halfway through the performance, the artist; He passes the ropes to the people around him. According to the subtext of the performance, the audience now becomes one of the decision makers of survival in society as a part of the structure. “Where do you want to take the system?” question is asked to the audience.

More silence.

Dora García Two Planets Have Been Colliding for Thousands of Years In his performance named; Participants in two areas look at each other without touching. It seems that eye contact is not broken, silence and as still as possible are maintained.

In the work with a poetic expression, two planets are depicted. one planet The story of how it became. In the collision; Two people who are physically close to each other make efforts to maintain distance in the areas they are in.

Should we be angry with him?

“Three minutes We hear your question and answer it: “How could the artist who put paint on his foot and hit it on the wall want to express anything?”

Prue Stevenson as herself to the autism spectrum He draws attention to the difficulty of individuals with this condition in discharging their energy and performs performances that involve repetitive, tactile movements. The artist, who has a Taekwondo black belt, can convey his energy and thoughts through performance art.

We can’t forget the robot that couldn’t help itself. (I wonder if this was one of the purposes?)

Of course, Sun Yuan and Peng Yu, who carried out the study, wanted their work to make a splash and not be forgotten. However, the way it remains in our minds as the operation of a machine depends on the planning behind it. It may be unfair.

a machine as if alive The starting point of the performance arises from the questioning of ‘the usability of machines in the exhibition area’. The machine, which looks defenseless and finds itself constantly forced to clean again and again, manages to evoke different emotions and thoughts in the audience. Sun Yuan and Peng Yu are known in the art world for their dark humor. With these works; current human affairs They are thought to reflect things in an interesting, political and violent way.

Yoko Ono’s ‘quiet’ but very vocal performance.

You may have heard of Yoko Ono from her musicianship, artistry, or her love story with John Lennon. Ono, whose performing arts have been in our lives since his youth, started his career in 1964. Cut Piece He managed to attract attention with his work.

In the performance, the role of the female body in art is examined; Participants were able to approach the artist and cut as many pieces of her clothes as they wanted. ‘Cut Piece’ is a concept that is still on the agenda today and is a combination of performance art, feminist art and participatory work. one of the pioneers is seen.

“Contemporary art can follow you through the streets.” What do you think if we say?

Yes, you heard right. In 1969, artist Vito Acconci followed random people on the streets of New York. For this follow-up process, which sometimes lasts hours and sometimes minutes, the artist feels that he is moving away from himself and acts with dedication states.

Using real people as statues. But why is this so?

Anna Uddenberg, who has recently performed extraordinary performances by bringing people and sculptures together, also performs different versions of the Continental Breakfast Chair exhibition we saw in the video. Artist; body, can be changed and controlled substitutes an object.

In his sculptures; The fact that we see the impression of a hospital, an airplane seat, and a hotel room is seen as a reference to the process we go through while adapting to the way the world works. The women and men who settled into the designs are now part of the sculpture and therefore part of the system is happening.

Which of us wouldn’t dream of becoming an artist right where we sleep?

Threaded of Memories shows us a dream-like space that we can also call a thread or series of memories. Black threads wrap the beds and tie them together. Chiharu Shiota, who created the work, said that sleeping people also your dreams are connected to each other He says it is.

The biggest influence that most of us have in choosing beds is From being born and dying in bed He states that he is coming. He adds that life begins and ends in bed, with dreams, sleep, fear and death.

The attention-grabbing effect of the cliché.

The mystery of this performance, which looks like fear of heights, hiding or a scene from an action movie, is hidden in its name. Frightened Man Danish Bangemand stars in the portrayal of the performance.

The creator of the exhibition titled The Epic Waste of Love and Understanding From the Hollywood scene The fact that it is like a stereotype that comes to us helps us make sense of it.

If breaking a mirror brings bad luck for seven years, we can deduce a mathematical problem from this performance.

Fourteen Minus One is one of the works created by Michelangelo Pistoletto in 2013. Pistoletto uses mirrors in his works; in their naming numbers of mirrors uses. The only subject of the performance is breaking thirteen of fourteen mirrors with a wooden hammer.

The artist emphasizes that mirrors expand the space and multiply the audience for his work. He argues that when the mirror is broken, the reflection does not disappear, on the contrary, it increases. Pistoletto, in the particles of broken mirrors, documents of memories of the past he thinks it is.

Sleeping ‘cozy’ with a jackal.

I Love America, America Loves Me. The name of the performance seems as interesting as itself. In New York City in 1974, artist Joseph Beuys was wrapped in felt and brought to the exhibition hall by ambulance. three days eight hours He stays locked in a cage with a coyote throughout.

Beuys, who was searching for meaning in the cultural chaos of the America of the period, trickster and predator He believed that there were different meanings behind his appearance. He tried to communicate with the coyote, which he saw as America’s spiritual animal, through eye contact and movements during his performance. At the end of his performance, the artist returned to the airport by ambulance and never set foot in America again, except for the exhibition hall.

When we wake up in the morning, we understand you very well.

There are no subtexts about this barefoot walking movement (Performance Still), which was first performed by Mona Hatoum in 1985. The artist said that he walked barefoot for an hour during his performance, and that he wore ankle boots, usually worn by police officers at that time, on his ankles. tied a boat we know.

Even if we do not know the artist’s message, we ourselves we can make sense. Just like another artist, Chris Thomas’s recreation.

What we want to do in the summer heat:

Melts approximately lasting 9 hours Francis Alÿs dragging the ice floe through the streets of Mexico City; It displays an appearance that will keep you cold in winter days and cool you down in summer days.

In a region with a hot climate like Mexico, the importance of ice for street vendors and the fact that ice itself drives ice to extinction seems to be explained in an absurd way. As the artist added in his title, sometimes doing one thing leads to nothing.

Let’s do a “countdown” as we approach the end.

“Pillar of Sand”, portrayed in the “Countdown” exhibition, is one of Roman Signer’s surprising works. entire exhibition of distortions shows its effects on the object. The countdown of the process and the inevitable end are experienced by the audience.

Signer’s performance also showcases the stacking of eight to twelve sand-filled buckets and then collapsing them. The sand spilled by opening a hole in the edge of the bottom bucket destroys all the buckets. to the inevitable end delivers.

A choice between life and art.

The path they prefer; When the examples are examined closely, it becomes clear that it is a difficult option that can often attract reactions. of art; We know that it can be a mirror to life, society and emotions. A closer look at the artist himself reveals a more difficult dilemma. An option that can explain life, can keep you from living The risk begins to emerge.

Art doesn’t always have to go the hard way. Sometimes a simple sentence, a simple action can capture the whole meaning. Artists create interesting works to attract the attention of society succeeds. There is only one thing left to question; Is it necessary to explain the work to the public, or should we stay with what we understand?

Marina Abramovic, one of the known names of performance art;

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