Performance in Contemporary Art

Catherine Wood, a renowned curator and writer on performance art, offers a comprehensive and up-to-date survey of the field, proposing that performance art has permeated contemporary art as an attitude rather than a genre distinct from object-making. The book explores individual, social, and object-based approaches in performance art from the 1960s to the present, featuring international artists outside the traditional European and North American focus.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 240 pages
Publication date: 05 May 2022
Publisher: Tate Publishing

Performance art, a captivating and enigmatic realm, possesses the remarkable ability to elicit a diverse range of emotions. In this essential and extensively illustrated volume, Catherine Wood, a renowned curator and authority on the subject, presents the most comprehensive and recent survey to date. Wood approaches performance not as a distinct artistic genre but as an attitude that permeates the entire landscape of contemporary art. Over the past twenty to thirty years, a diverse array of practices has emerged, encompassing sculpture, painting, spectacle, and protest. These practices span from the musical-theatricals of Marvin-Gaye Chetwynd to the public encounters crafted by Tino Seghal and the social activism of Tania Bruguera.

Wood delves into the influential realm of performance art from the 1960s to 1980s, exploring the body art of Viennese actionists, the raw performances of Yoko Ono and Chris Burden, and the experimental endeavors of the Japanese Gutai group, among others. She then examines how contemporary artists have revisited, reinterpreted, or rejected these sources in the twenty-first century.

This remarkable book extends its reach beyond the traditional confines of European and North American art, offering a comprehensive and up-to-date perspective on the subject. It encompasses international artists who contribute to the rich tapestry of performance art, providing readers with a broad and insightful understanding of this dynamic field.

Weight: 988g
Dimension: 210 x 255 x 22 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781849768238