Live Art, or performance, is one of the most controversial and hotly discussed areas of art practice to emerge in the second half of the twentieth century. The history of Live Art is one of challenge to audiences, art traditions and cultural values. With elements of performance now part of the practice of many of today’s best-known artists, and boundaries between visual art, theatre and live art more and more blurred, this collection is long overdue. Leading artists and thinkers assess the relevance of Live Art now and its impact within the visual arts and the broader cultural sphere. Hugo Glendinning’s stunning colour photographs of performance events are combined with numerous essays examining the political, philosophical and cultural resonances of the work of a diverse range of international Live artists, both historical and contemporary.
Accessible, critically astute and expansive, Live is an indispensable resource for all those with an interest in some of the most vibrant and contested issues in art today.
Contributors: Marina Abramović, Ron Athey, Franko B, Bobby Baker, Lucy Baldwyn, Michele Barrett, Jérôme Bel, Romeo Castellucci, Brian Catling, Oron Catts, Julie Clarke, Ricardo Dominguez, Tim Etchells, Jean Fisher, Forced Entertainment, Goat Island, RoseLee Goldberg, Guillermo Gómez-Peña, Matthew Goulish, Lin Hixson, Amelia Jones, Joe Kelleher, Yu Yeon Kim, Oleg Kulik, André Lepecki, Alastair MacLennan, Hayley Newman, Peggy Phelan, La Pocha Nostra, William Pope.L, Andrew Quick, Alan Read, La Ribot, Henry M. Sayre, Stelarc.
Homepage image: Oleg Kulik, Armadillo for your Show, 2003. Photo: Hugo Glendinning. © the artist.
Images and extracts from the book below
Forced Entertainment, 12am: Awake and Looking Down, 2003. Photo: Hugo Glendinning. © the artists.
Forced Entertainment, Quizoola!, 2003. Photo: Hugo Glendinning. © the artists.
Marina Abramovic, 2003. Photo: Hugo Glendinning. © the artist.
Franko B, I Miss You!, 2003. Photo: Hugo Glendinning. © the artist.
Guillermo Gómez-Peña, Juan Ybarra and Michelle Ceballos of La Pocha Nostra with Kazuko Hohki and Ansuman Biswas, Ex-Centris (A Living Diorama of Fetish-ized Others), 2003. Photo: Hugo Glendinning. © the artists.
La Ribot, Distinguidas Pieces, 2003. Photo: Hugo Glendinning. © the artist.