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Performance ArtPerformance art is art created through the actions of the artist, the viewers, or both. It is often exhibited live and typically designed to subvert normal assumptions about life and art. These artworks prioritize concepts over technical skill and differ from dance or theater by presenting their work as an art exhibit. They often incorporate spontaneity and improvisation rather than rehearsal and consistency.
Performance art originated alongside early 20th-century movements like Dadaism and constructivism, which frequently emphasized questioning conventional cultural and artistic norms. Artists like Andy Warhol, Yoko Ono, and Marina Abramović pushed the form forward through the latter half of the century.
While performance art was originally seen as subversive—due in part to its often politically charged themes—it has since become a mainstay in the art world, leaving some questioning whether it’s become the new convention.Explore Performance Art
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Performance artist Laurie Anderson had an unexpected pop hit with 'O Superman'Anderson was a working performance artist in New York through the 1970s and pressed a small run of the song—an idiosyncratic, vocoder-driven piece that sounded unlike anything on pop radio. Thanks to a push from influential British DJ John Peel, the song became an unexpected hit, propelling Anderson (and her art) into the mainstream. Roland ArticlesMarina Abramović helped popularize performance art Working across continents for over five decades has made Abramović one of the most recognizable and prolific performance artists in history. Her shocking oeuvre has involved self-harm, public nudity, exotic animals, and fire. CBS Sunday MorningPerformance artist Thierry Mandon turns solitary domestic scenes into spectaclessSuspended in the air and attached to severed buildings, artist Mandon appears engrossed in his book while lying in bed or sitting at a table. Mandon satirizes our everyday habits while attracting and amusing passersby. ColossalRevolution and performance art in RussiaIn the wake of Vladimir Putin’s 2011 announcement that he would run for office for a fourth consecutive term, a group of Russian women formed a “punk protest art collective” called Pussy Riot. Their performances were largely staged in public stages representative of repressive political forces like the Orthodox Church. The group became a household name when three members were convicted of “hooliganism motivated by religious hatred,” inspiring displays of support from across the world. HASTAIs the pandemic performance art?Interdisciplinary artist Kristina Wong sees parallels between the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic and some of the “worst performance art” she’s encountered in her career. Wong’s sharp sense of humor and clever writing mean that she gets in some good digs at the more ridiculous side of performance art, but don’t let her funny fool you: this is an incisive piece on the role of performance, empathy, trauma, and art in all our lives. MacDowellGutai was performance art’s Japanese predecessorWorks by the post-WWII Japanese artist collective Gutai are widely considered a precursor to Western performance art of the 1960s and 1970s. The word “Gutai” means “concrete” in Japanese, referring to the concrete ways the artists’ bodies were used to create their works. Gutai members like Kazuo Shiraga, who painted with his feet to express the movement of his process, are thought to have influenced later artists like Jackson Pollock. Christie'sTerrible performance art: an insider's perspectiveDavid Sedaris may be known for his writing now, but when he was in college, he thought his future was in the art world. Specifically, the performance art world. In this episode of NPR’s This American Life, Sedaris shares a selection of moments from his career as an artist, each more embarrassing than the last. The kicker? Being heckled from the audience—by his own father. This American LifeThe 30 most important performance artistsThrough centering on the human body, performance art can surprise and shock us. This rundown of 30 of its practitioners highlights their individual art and selects an image to showcase their specific style. While some are more clever or conceptual, many are viscerally shocking, including artistic nudity and, in some cases, graphic violence. Contemporary Art IssueCan anything be performance art?When you see someone slathering themselves in maple syrup or sitting silently in the corner of a gallery surrounded by yogurt containers, it’s easy to wonder whether there’s anything that can’t be considered performance art. This Artsy piece speaks to various performance artists and attempts to define some guardrails for the medium. The main takeaway? Intention and interpretation are what separate real performance art from people who are just covered in syrup. ArtsyNon-Western performance art developed in its own political contextThe medium’s emerging popularity in 1990s China is a perfect example of this. Many Chinese artists incorporated the practice of meditation into their works, combining the Buddhist tradition with various modes of endurance art to comment on divisions within Chinese society and the power of the government. LEAPAndy Warhol’s 'Exploding Plastic Inevitable' shows were multimedia performance artIf you wandered into one of Andy Warhol’s "Exploding Plastic Inevitable" events in the 1960s, you might have encountered a Velvet Underground performance, go-go dancers, strobe lights, guerrilla filmmakers asking very personal questions, and mimes. Warhol was on the cutting edge of many art forms, and performance art was no exception. The Andy Warhol MuseumZurich's Cabaret Voltaire was the epicenter of early performance artIn early 20th-century Zurich, one nightclub was the epicenter of avant-garde art and performance: Cabaret Voltaire. Night after night, crowds of artists, writers, philosophers, and others would gather to watch—or participate in—wild, unrehearsed performances that could include anything from sound poems to traditional folk dance. The atmosphere at Club Voltaire was the ideal breeding ground for outside art movements, and it is thought to be the birthplace of Dada, a precursor to performance art. BBC NewsPerformance art differs from other performances, like dance and theaterWhile performance art is a very flexible genre, it is defined by several core elements: time, space, the body, and the relationship between the artist and the audience. These elements may be manipulated in infinite ways to convey the artist’s message, such as how endurance performances challenge the limits of the body over long periods of time. GuggenheimPerformance art depends on the actions of the artistPart theater, part anarchy, part absurdism, performance art encompasses a whole range of media and genres. The short version is that it’s conceptual, often spontaneous art that is performed live. Performance art is inherently confrontational, challenging societal ideas of what constitutes “fine art,” making it an ideal vehicle for political and protest pieces. It’s closely related to other avant-garde movements like Dada and Futurism. The Art StoryPerformance art, explainedPerformance art defies traditional boundaries, existing as a dynamic, live medium where the artist's actions—and sometimes the audience's—become the work itself. Emerging in the early 20th century with movements like Dadaism, performance art has continually evolved to provoke reflection and challenge cultural norms. 1440'Context rot' explains why AI conversations degrade the longer they runResearch shows that as a large language model's context window fills up, performance declines, and models begin over-indexing on content at the start and end of a conversation while losing track of what's in the middle. The practical fix is simpler than you'd think: start a fresh chat more often. Product TalkIrish music became popular in the US during the 19th centuryThe influx of Irish immigrants in the mid-1800s, driven by starvation and abysmal employment opportunities, led to a significant Irish-American culture, especially in urban hubs such as New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, and San Francisco. The Library of CongressAn electric pipe organ in Germany is playing a song for 639 yearsCreated by composer John Cage, the Halberstadt organ first began playing the piece in September 2001, and has since made only nine chord changes. The device within a medieval church utilizes compressed air to play continuous tones. The next chord change is scheduled for August 2026. Popular SciencePrince's Super Bowl halftime show is widely considered one of the bestThe 2007 performance was idiosyncratic, featuring a handful of songs by other artists (including Foo Fighters' "Best of You" and Jimi Hendrix's rendition of "All Along the Watchtower" and a torrential rainstorm. Its differences, along with Prince's legendary stage presence, have led many critics to call it the best Super Bowl halftime performance ever. The RingerSome Super Bowl performers make less than $1K for the eventThe NFL has a longstanding policy of not compensating Super Bowl Halftime show performers, with the idea that the true compensation for artists is the scale of the exposure to the artist’s music. Previous Super Bowl performers have made the union rate minimum, which is about $1K per day. SIClipse made history as the first hip-hop group to perform at the VaticanThe September 2025 performance was a part of the Vatican's "Grace of the World" concert, organized by Pharrell Williams. The duo performed their song "The Birds Don't Sing," accompanied by John Legend, the Voices of Fire choir, and a live orchestra. RapzillaParton teamed up with Porter Wagoner in 1967Wagoner was a popular country artist whose syndicated variety show debuted in 1960. When his cohost Norma Jean left in 1967, Wagoner brought in Parton as a replacement. That was the same year her debut album, “Hello, I’m Dolly,” was released. Below is a performance of “Dumb Blonde,” the lead single from that album, from her first day on the show. Dolly Parton HDThe Shed at Dulwich was a fake restaurant that became the top-rated eatery in LondonIn 2017, freelance writer Oobah Butler conducted an experiment in which he created a website claiming that his south London garden shed offered a unique fine-dining experience. Butler asked friends to write glowing reviews on Tripadvisor, made the restaurant open only by appointment, and allured audiences with mystery. As a result, hordes of people called and emailed to make a reservation at a restaurant that didn't exist. Payload AppProsthetics and orthotics have been 3D printed to improve the lives of animalsShells for hermit crabs, wheelchairs for guinea pigs and dogs, and horseshoes for improved running performance have been created using 3D printers. Other artificial body parts made using this technology include a jaw for a loggerhead turtle, a beak for a toucan, and a tail for an American alligator. 3DnativesDada artists satirized the horrors of World War IThe movement’s early performances were absurd cabarets featuring experimental poetry, avant-garde music, and maskwork. Much of it was reckoning with the growing deathcounts of World War I, with work that often lampooned Western imperialism and supposed rationality. SmarthistoryExperimental duo Suicide used the word 'punk' to describe their music in 1970The New York act was inspired by free jazz, electronic music, and performance art, playing loud, frenetic, and often abrasive music that reckoned with the horrors of the Vietnam War. On the hand-drawn poster for their first gig, they described the sound with four words: “Punk Music by Suicide.” Electronic SoundCharlie Chaplin's 'Modern Times' blended slapstick and satireThe 1936 film thrust Chaplin's iconic Little Tramp character into the Industrial Revolution, satirizing how mass production was dehumanizing individuals. The movie was not only a hit, but it was also the product of a burgeoning Hollywood: Chaplin had founded his own company (United Artists) in 1919. Crystal BridgesBob Dylan often reworks his vocal melodies, even for his classic songsBob Dylan is an unpredictable live artist willing to reinvent his classics as they age. This analysis by Steven Rings, a music professor, breaks down the evolution of the singing style in "A Hard Rain’s A‐Gonna Fall," which transformed in one 1994 performance and then continued growing. Flagging Down the Double E'sAt its core, stand-up is about a comic making a crowd laughThe performance style typically features a single performer who aims to make an audience laugh. It evolved from 19th and 20th-century American comedy traditions and has since grown into an influential—and commercially successful—international artistic form. Jangles ScienceLadBefore Chipotle, San Francisco was the epicenter of American burrito obsession More than just something to eat, burritos were akin to a Bay Area religion in the early 1990s, inspiring performance art, comedy shows, music, philosophizing, and more. SFWeeklyMarina Abramović wanted to create a shared consciousness between audience and performer in ‘The Artist Is Present’The HBO documentary follows the preparation and execution of Abramović’s 2010 MoMA show, taking a deeper look into the emotional experience. Performing was both physically and emotionally taxing for the artist, and visitors were often moved to tears while connecting with her. (This resource contains some artistic nudity.) TubiMarina Abramović didn’t use the bathroom during her MoMA showIn preparation for sitting in one place for hours on end, Abramović placed a hole in her chair for urinating. She also prepared for the experience with a strict diet and hydration regimen. HuffPost‘The Artist Is Present’ is one of the most famous performance pieces in historyThe exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art invited visitors to sit in silence in the company of a master performer. Many shed tears or gestured affectionately, claiming to have felt a profound connection with Abramović. (This resource contains some artistic nudity.) The Museum of Modern Art‘Seven Easy Pieces’ helped propel Marina Abramovic’s career to her famed MoMA solo showFor seven days, Abramović reenacted seven works by her peers for seven hours each. The performance attracted widespread attention that helped lay the groundwork for her life as a celebrity artist. The Guggenheim Museums and Foundation‘Rhythm’ 0 was a performance piece that exposed human natureBy inviting the audience to do as they please without repercussions, Abramović showed the public both the beauty and hideousness of human nature. Playful interactions eventually turned into assault, and the performance left her with scars she still wears decades later. The Harvard CrimsonAbramović’s work explores intense, transient interpersonal momentsIn this 2025 interview, the artist speaks candidly about her traumatic childhood, her enduring interest in exploring pain and pleasure, and how performance taught her to control her pain. Where It's At...with Jefferson Hack‘The Artist Is Present’ was inspired by an earlier performance titled ‘Nightsea Crossing’ In the ‘80s, partners Abramović and Ulay sat across from each other in public without moving or speaking. Ulay was unable to continue after a certain point, but Abramović kept going. “The Artist Is Present” marked Abramović continuing the performance without him. Die BlumeA group claims a man is trapped inside Chicago's 'Cloud Gate'Although they appear to be performance artists, the group claims they're earnestly protesting the captivity of a man inside the iconic public art piece designed by Anish Kapoor. City officials say there is no man inside the object. Artnet NewsThe cuisine of the Mount Everest base campsDepending on their budget, Mount Everest climbers are either eating canned meats and hearty vegetables or a more elaborate menu with additions like protein powder and chia seeds. Fresh food flies to the base camp every day by helicopter. Outside OnlineWatch Salvador Dalí's surreal appearance on 'The Dick Cavett Show'During this 1971 talk show episode, Dalí enters the stage with his pet anteater, flinging it onto an actress' lap. He proceeds to talk strangely about the significance of anteaters and his mustache. Many argue such public appearances were examples of Dalí's performance art, where he made real interactions surreal. The Dick Cavett ShowPeople have tied for Grammy Awards at least 34 timesBecause of the Grammys voting structure, it's possible for two artists (or songs or producers, etc.) to receive the same vote totals. What happens then? Two Grammys! It has led to some funny moments, including in 1981, when classical musician Itzhak Perlman tied with … himself, for best classical performance as a soloist. Total Music AwardsFrank Ocean's 2023 appearance was a notorious catastropheOcean’s Coachella performance was one of the most anticipated in the festival’s two-plus decades. Ocean was an enigmatic but generation-defining artist; a headlining set on Coachella’s legendary stage seemed like the perfect place for him to reveal the next step in his artistic journey. Unfortunately, though, it was a slipshod and confusing spectacle, rife with technical issues, that left fans disappointed and confused. Passion of the Weiss'Carry That Weight' was a college performance piece that went viralColumbia University undergrad Emma Sulkowicz became an overnight sensation with their senior thesis performance art piece "Carry That Weight." Emma developed the piece after reporting having been sexually assaulted by another Columbia student to the school, which declined to find that student responsible. In "Carry That Weight," Emma carried her mattress everywhere with her for the entirety of her senior year, calling it an “endurance performance art piece.” Columbia Daily SpectatorReactions to Abramovic’s work range from adoration to religious scornAbramović’s willingness to mainstream transgressive and symbolic work has inspired many, but some have also interpreted that same work as ridiculous, pretentious, or even Satanic. The GuardianSome critics view Marina Abramović as more of a brand than an artistAs the performer became more tied to A-listers like Jay-Z, Lady Gaga, and James Franco, culture critics began to consider the commercialization of performance art and how audiences may have flocked to see the “brand” of Abramović more than her actual work. HyperallergicGuatemala’s Regina José Gallindo's works protested abuses against womenIn this in-depth interview with Bomb magazine, she discusses her motivations and inspirations for pieces like Recorte Por La Línea, in which she invited a plastic surgeon to mark everything he would change on her body to make it “ideal.” BOMB MagazineJackson Pollock and others developed 'action painting,' highlighting the creative processA subcategory of performance art, action painting emerged in 1945 as a way to capture a moment-by-moment view of the creative process through painting. For these pieces, the physical act of painting is as important as the finished product. This short explainer video covers the philosophy behind action painting, as well as exploring the works of several well-known action painters, including Jackson Pollock, Franz Kline, and Mark Rothko. Art TheoryIn 'Cut Piece,' Yoko Ono invited the audience to her clothesMuch more than simply John Lennon’s partner, Yoko Ono is a prolific multimedia artist in her own right. Her 1964 performance "Cut Piece" invited audience members to come onstage and cut away pieces of her clothing. She described the piece as being about solidarity between women and the possibility for world peace, saying, “By not fighting, we show them that there's a whole world, which could exist by being peaceful.” The Museum of Modern ArtThe 1974 anarchist protest in Denmark that later inspired SantaConAn interview with one of the participants explains what the performance art group that planned the event was hoping to achieve. Hordes of Santas walking down the street with a giant goose, attacking buildings with backhoes and pickaxes, handing out “presents” stolen from department stores, and eventually being arrested. hummerkongenIt has historically been tough for minorities to rise through the ranks in investment bankingAccording to a Barron’s article, only about 1.3% of the $69T asset management business is managed by firms led by women or minorities—even if their performance is comparable to those led by white men. Barron's
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