Khan Academy Performance Art
“I could never go back to the seclusion of the studio and be protected by the space there.” - Marina Abramovic
Performance art puts artists at risk to live reactions from the audience. Some performance artists have been assaulted during a performance. The physical aspect of performance art leaves artists exposed. Some of Marina Abramovic’s performances have included real knives and fire. It’s easy for painters or illustrators to hide behind their artwork. Performance artists can’t hide behind their artwork. It takes a lot of bravery to be a performance artist.
“I am an artist. I am a woman. I am a wife. I am a mother.” - Mierle Laderman Ukeles
Mierle Ukeles struggled with balancing motherhood and her career. She was frequently told that she couldn’t sustain her career as an artist after having children. This led to her resenting motherhood because it took her away from her artwork. Mierle Ukeles story genuinely saddens me because being a mother became her identity. Society expected her to choose between motherhood and her career.
The Art of Activism - Chapter 3
“We lose a lot more often than we win, and even when we win, we have to fight again the very next day to hold on to the little we gained. It’s easy to get dispirited as an activist.”
True activism is done in spaces where you’re not accepted and people are uncomfortable. You have to change people's mindsets and opinions. It’s very draining to feel that constant pushback and criticism. The real work is done in environments where you have to push boundaries and the status quo. It isn’t activist to limit yourself to spaces where people mirror everything about you.
“But it is people who make up those movements, and if change is to be far-reaching and sustainable, then all of us must be the movement.”
Unfortunately, it isn’t enough for one person to support a movement. It takes multiple people with different skill sets to create a successful organization. For example, there has to be a balance of peaceful and radical protesters in order for a protest to be effective. A movement is extremely successful when there are supporters of multiple backgrounds. Social media is very successful in connecting people of multiple backgrounds.
“An ideal of power not used selfishly to privilege oneself, as it often is, but as a gift for helping others, caring for and sharing with those on the bottom of society.”
A lot of people will support something because it's a trend. The social issue becomes something that fuels their ego. It is common for influencers to support a movement because of their followers. There are also some influencers who have been paid to support or reject an issue that is trending on social media. The influencers that aren’t received well by social media companies are the real activists. They push people to look at things that are uncomfortable and it’s common for activist videos to be reported online.
Yoko Ono
“The piece was lauded as an enactment of the physical vulnerability of women in a world where they are reduced to mere objects for looking at.” - Cut Piece
Yoko Ono sat on a stage and invited the audience to cut off pieces of her clothing and expose her naked body. This performance reflects how easy it is for people to disrespect women. Some people will violate a woman when given the opportunity. Members of the audience disrespected Yoko Ono because they wouldn’t face any consequences. Some members of the audience enjoyed mocking her while her clothing was being cut off.
“Even though she was frequently criticized and even ostracized by the press and the public, she fought her way through all the hardships with her creativity and challenging artwork.”
Consistency is the key to being a successful artist. Even though everything was against her, she continued to create. Yoko Ono also based her artwork on questioning the status quo. She exposed the ugly reality of being a woman in America. It’s human nature for people to reject art that makes them uncomfortable.
Performance, Pedagogy, and Philosophy
“Artists need to take in, to process, to decipher, to separate from the noise and create things that are beautiful and impactful to the spirit. Artists have to offer a different type of slowness to work against the speed of today.”
This quote reflects how I feel about the pace of art classes. My creativity doesn’t flow at the frequency that we’re assigned projects and homework. It is easy for me to succeed academically at classes that rely primarily on written assignments. I struggle with classes that require students to produce one painting and sketches every week. I also create artwork based on emotions and my personal life. When we’re given prompts for an assignment it stunts my creativity.
“I offer that narrative with the recognition that, over my life and professional career, I have witnessed young people be easily derailed when they don’t see themselves in the representation of who is creating.”
Representation is the most important form of activism. When children are represented in the media positively, they can visual themselves doing something positive. Positive representation is very important for children in poor neighborhoods. Positive representation can give a child the motivation to go to school and aspire for more.
Battle Royal (performance), 3 hours at Nuit Blanche, Toronto, Canada, 10/3/09. Photo by Bob Martus
Men dressed in luchador costumes entered the cage and began to wrestle. They also had blindfolds on and weren't aware of their surroundings. The audience surrounded the steel cage and closely watched the performance.
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