Body Art/ Performance Art?

Question

i really want to become more familiar

with body/performance art.

i'd love it if you could answer these questions for me:

- the main characteristics of the art movement

- country of origin

- approximate dates when they occurred

- names of two main artists from body/performace art

thanks heaps in advance!

Answer 1

Performance Art is a pretty broad designation. Hard to pin down where/when that started.

If you're looking for Body Art, however, you might consider the NY scene during the 60s and 70s with artists like Carolee Schneeman and Yayoi Kusama. Body art was, at the time was an attempt to bring the artist and the art object together, breaking down subject/object relations.

I recommend Amelia Jones book called Body Art: Performing the Subject. Not an easy read though. You might also try Richard Schechner's Performance Studies: An Introduction, which gives a broader overview of PS.