Questions on Art
The 'cutting edge' image of Performance Art has a jagged and complex relationship with society as well as those who saw themselves as practitioners. It's marginal status is often obscured by it comparative accessibility and empathy based on live and sometimes interactive presentations to audiences of varying perspectives and cultural background. Due to its open ended nature there have been conflicts and skirmishes with the more conventional and traditional perceptions of art while performance artists took liberty to push and transgress boundaries of decorum, customs and traditional or even to extremities of breaking the law, unconsciously sometimes breaking the legal
In Singapore, “Performance Art” hold a unique if not confusing status especially during the ten years of so called ban and he restrictive conditional support by the National Arts Council. Some artists hesitated if not denied describing themselves as Performance Artists due to this difficulty, or changing their practice into dance or experimental theatre instead.
I started a series of performance using signs with the words. And also asking the questions : "Is Art Necessary? What is Art Good For?" It was in response to this perplexed situation as well as expressing the need to question and re-position the nature, rationale and philosophy of art in practice. The performances were meditations on the various questions on art such as what constitute a work of art? Or, why we should make art at all? And serve as starting point for various other discussions.
As if putting the cart before the horse, in 2010 the "Anyhow Blues Project" intervened and posed questions such as "Does folk songs belong in performance art? By singing some self composed songs as well as old classics as a starting vehicle, the “Anyhow Blues Project” confronts various issues related to contemporary art ‘serious culture and high art.
"Is Art Necessary? What is Art Good For?"
“I am a not a Performance Artist” or "This is not a work of art"
Anyhow Blues Project was presented in
In Singapore, “Performance Art” hold a unique if not confusing status especially during the ten years of so called ban and he restrictive conditional support by the National Arts Council. Some artists hesitated if not denied describing themselves as Performance Artists due to this difficulty, or changing their practice into dance or experimental theatre instead.
I started a series of performance using signs with the words. And also asking the questions : "Is Art Necessary? What is Art Good For?" It was in response to this perplexed situation as well as expressing the need to question and re-position the nature, rationale and philosophy of art in practice. The performances were meditations on the various questions on art such as what constitute a work of art? Or, why we should make art at all? And serve as starting point for various other discussions.
As if putting the cart before the horse, in 2010 the "Anyhow Blues Project" intervened and posed questions such as "Does folk songs belong in performance art? By singing some self composed songs as well as old classics as a starting vehicle, the “Anyhow Blues Project” confronts various issues related to contemporary art ‘serious culture and high art.
"Is Art Necessary? What is Art Good For?"
- Performance, “Rånd”, Festival der Regionen, Zuckerfabrik Enns, Austria 1999
“I am a not a Performance Artist” or "This is not a work of art"
- Performance, "Zug", Flexible X, Dresden, Germany Dec 1998
Anyhow Blues Project was presented in
- 9th International Performance Art, Turbine, Giswil 2010, Switzerland
- Rencontre internationale d’art performance de Québec, Quebec, Canada
- Survey from Singapore, FADO, Toronto Free Gallery, Toronto, Canada
- 4 Directions from Asia, Grace Exhibition Space, Brooklyn, New York, U.S.A.
- Action Script: Symposium on Performance Art Practice and Documentation in Asia, Hong Kong
- Performance Platform Lublin 2010, Poland
- BONE 13 – Festival für Aktionskunst, Berne, Switzerland
- R.I.T.E.S. “Rooted In The Ephemeral Speak” #01/2011, The Substation, Singapore
- “This Is Performance Art”, Aberdeen and Glasgow, Scotland
- “AfterHours - Grounded Party”, Singapore Art Museum, Singapore
Links:
Boris Nieslony
Bartolome Ferrando
Marilyn Arsem
Uto Gusztav
Lee Wen's Blog
I.A. Independent Archive Ltd.
R.I.T.E.S. Rooted In The Ephemeral Speak: an artists-initiative organised as a non-profit event to platform new ideas and artists in sonic art, time-based and performance art-related practices.
FOI “Future of Imagination”, a time based, performance art event
The Artists Village, Singapore
Boris Nieslony
Bartolome Ferrando
Marilyn Arsem
Uto Gusztav
Lee Wen's Blog
I.A. Independent Archive Ltd.
R.I.T.E.S. Rooted In The Ephemeral Speak: an artists-initiative organised as a non-profit event to platform new ideas and artists in sonic art, time-based and performance art-related practices.
FOI “Future of Imagination”, a time based, performance art event
The Artists Village, Singapore