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Modernisms 1900-1980
Course: Modernisms 1900-1980 > Unit 12
Lesson 2: Performance art- Performance Art: An Introduction
- The Case for Performance Art
- Shiraga Kazuo, Challenging Mud (Doro ni idomu)
- Marina Abramović: The Body as medium
- Marina Abramović: What is performance art?
- Marina Abramović
- Marina Abramović, The Artist is Present
- Mierle Laderman Ukeles, Cleaning the museum—maintenance art
- Bill Viola, The Crossing
- Vito Acconci
- Gordon Matta-Clark, Splitting
- Unlock Art: Frank Skinner on Performance Art
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Marina Abramović
Can performance art be re-performed? How can it be collected by the museum? To explore what artists have to say, take our online course, Modern and Contemporary Art, 1945-1989. Created by The Museum of Modern Art.
Want to join the conversation?
- Is a performance art re-enacted by someone else still the same "work", something new, or an aberration?(6 votes)
- It is considered the same work, just done by different people. If you were to play Beethoven's 9th on violin, it is still Beethoven's 9th, even if you aren't the original person to perform it.(5 votes)
- Is a performance art "owned" by the original creator?(3 votes)
- Well, yes. It is owned by the choreographer in the case of dance. If you would like to try it out, then it may be free, but if you would like to perform it commercially or in a film, you will have to speak to the creator, unless it is in public domain.(6 votes)
- @What is this instrument called? I have seen them before, but never knew the name. 0:10(2 votes)
- I would call it a Monkey Drum or a Spinning Drum or a Spinning Hand Drum(3 votes)
- she hosts spirit cooking dinners?(2 votes)
Video transcript
(paddle drum beat) (paddle drum beat)
- This kind of exhibition is really unique, the public will see something
they never saw before, and I hope they will like it and I hope they will
really have the different and change opinion about performance art. So the preparation for the
MoMA show, it's going well. I mean, it's a very big task for me because it's not just third perspective of my performers' work, it's what really stands for
some kind of historical view, what performers can be, and how the performers
can enter the museum, and how can be performers
collected from the museum, and what happen if a performer die, if the work can be
re-performed, can be continue, and what kind of roles that will take. It's really interesting to see how the performers can be present in the museum, live. The title of the show is Marina
Abramović Artist is Present. Literally, I will be there
for entire period of time of three months and the
duration of the opening of the museum, which means
seven and a half hours of every day. Also, there will be re-performance of five of my performances,
some of which I made in seventies and eighties,
and they're going to re-perform the same amount
of time, like three months. So this kind of thing's
never been done til now, so it's a really big experiment. I myself never actually
performed three months also. If at my opening, and my
opening come only the artists of my generation, I know of
something's terribly wrong, because it means that my work
doesn't communicate anywhere, that means it's dead. There was a very funny
interview of Leonard Cohen, and he say, "I am now in a third act," and in third act,
everything start very well, but in the end, the main actor die. I also feel that I'm in a
kind of third act right now, you know, (mumbing) MoMA,
it's finishing a huge amount of work, which is very
interesting about legacy, what you going to leave after you die. But one thing you can leave
always is a good idea, and I really wanted to have
this good idea to live after me.