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Performance Art

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A Brief Survey of Naughty Public Art

By Alison Nastasi on

Artist Paul McCarthy is at it again. We spotted his newest inflatable sculpture, a massive pile of feces, on Booooooom. You can see it after the jump, along with other public artworks that display a naughty, irreverent, and pervy side. It’s fascinating to observe the public’s reactions to subjects normally kept hush-hush in polite company. These installations, performances, and sculptures have nothing to hide, though. See how potty humor, private sex acts, and other naughty themes have entered the public sphere, framed by the fine art world. … Read More

Art

The Weirdest Interactive Installations and Performances

By Alison Nastasi on

Interactive installation art and audience-immersive exhibits and entertainment have been around for quite a while, but as our culture and its propensity for extremes continues to evolve, these artworks and performances have followed suit. Viewers really want to be part of the show, and the constant shift in power between artist and spectator-turned-participant is an exciting and unpredictable draw for people.

We spotted a current installation at the National Art Museum of Ukraine on Gawker recently, and felt inspired to round up a few other interactive and immersive works that required a steep commitment from audiences. They range from the radical to the absolutely bizarre. We feature them all after the jump — from a real-life sleeping beauty, to an artist that asked people to shoot him. Feel free to drop your favorite interactive performance/installation craziness in the comments section. … Read More

Art

A Girl and Her Love Doll Clone: A Performance Art Misadventure [NSFW]

By Marina Galperina on

For years, artist Amber Hawk Swanson has lived with a RealDoll replicate of herself. She had commissioned her own silicone clone for art performance, academic inquiry and yes, companionship. Unlike most mates of “doll husbands” found within the RealDoll community, Amber Doll has had a venturesome life, playing the “literal object” to a series of artistic performances/social experiments. Exploring the notions of power and the social narrative that declares women as objects, the artist has left her exact replica unattended at a football tail gate party, a roller skating rink, a theme park, and an erotica expo, documenting the interactions. … Read More

Performance Art

A Brief Survey of Incredibly Shocking Performance Art Pieces

By Marina Galperina on

By now you’ve probably heard the news that in the next few weeks artist Marni Kotak plans to give birth at Bushwick’s Microscope Gallery in front of a live audience. Whether you’re a fan of the unabashed concept or skeptical if the audience alone warrants this being called art, certainly it has grabbed your attention. Suddenly, this usually private, explicitly corporeal physical ordeal/bodily function/miracle has turned into a public spectacle. How could you look away? It’s not the first time that a performance artist has incorporated a shock element into their work. Sometimes, the results have been amazing and mind-freeing. Sometimes, not so much. Let’s take a look at some of the physically daring, sexually risque, disturbingly disgusting, and potentially deadly performances. … Read More

Art

10 Incredibly Filthy Works of Art

By Emily Temple on

As every artist knows, it’s good to get your hands dirty every once in a while. And there’s something undeniably wonderful about messy, filthy, dig-your-hands-in art, a departure from pristine lines and immaculate form. Recently, The Pace Gallery opened its summer season with “Through the Claw,” a performance piece by Kate Gilmore in which several women decimated a block of clay with their bare hands, getting understandably filthy in the process, and we were inspired to come up with some of our favorite messy artworks for your visceral viewing pleasure. After all, it’s summer. What better time to get a little dirty? Click through to see some of the messiest artworks we’ve ever seen, and let us know which of your favorites we’ve missed in the comments! … Read More

Daily Dose

Daily Dose Pick: Heather Woodbury

By Shana Nys Dambrot on

Writer Heather Woodbury takes on the day’s most pressing issues, from the environmental crisis to Christian fundamentalism and crazy TV lust, in As the Globe Warms, her serialized video “performance novel” and avant-soap digest.

As with previous works What Ever and A Tale of 2Cities, ATGW is written live on stage in real time, with plenty of audience advice and online chronicling. The new, expanded production picks up with Episode 25, but the vaguely circus-like energy and freshly baked character-driven nature of her narrative collages make it easy to dive right in. … Read More

Pop Culture

When Life Imitates Video Games: The Best Real-World Reenactments

By Christine Jordan on

In every geeky gamer’s life, there comes a time where he realizes he really, really needs to stop playing video games and get outside. Sometimes the fresh air and sunlight isn’t enough to set ‘em straight, though — in fact, we’ve found an almost alarming number of real-life video game recreations, from life-sized Tetris with human pieces to supermarket rounds of Pac Man. Below, check out our favorite off-screen video game love letters, which are precisely 35% awesome, 15% disturbing, and 50% “How on earth does anybody have that much free time?” … Read More

Art

Preview: Art Los Angeles Contemporary 2011

By Shana Nys Dambrot on

Art Los Angeles Contemporary, which opens tomorrow and runs through January 30, wraps up a month-long, city-wide pageant of international art shows that included photo l.a, artLA projects, and the Los Angeles Art Show, along with a handful of smaller niche projects. Staging its first annual return with a move from the Pacific Design Center to Santa Monica Airport’s Bark Hangar, ALAC features more than 70 galleries representing 11 countries, a jam-packed roster of tours, performances, panels, and special events throughout the weekend. … Read More

Daily Dose

Daily Dose Pick: Rhizome

By Paul Laster on

The go-to site for technological experimentation, Rhizome offers a riveting array of new-media art, networked culture, and creative internet information.

Founded way back in 1996 to support a developing community of digital-art pioneers, the savvy site now boasts more than 2,500 avant-garde works in the ArtBase, its online archive. Affiliated with the New Museum since 2003, Rhizome also publishes a dynamic blog, commissions emerging artists to create new-media projects, organizes exhibitions and events, and provides a powerful platform for the discussion and promotion of experimental art. … Read More

Daily Dose

Daily Dose Pick: Artis

By Paul Laster on

Offering a curatorial overview of the most compelling contemporary visual art from Israel, Artis provides an important bridge to a dynamic, developing art scene.

Supporting and promoting avant-garde Israeli visual artists worldwide, Artis features artist profiles, articles, news, and videos, as well as an exhibition and events calendar, newsletter, and art guide to Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and beyond. From painting and sculpture to photography, video, and performance art, Artis is the primary platform for discovering the exciting realm of current Israeli visual art. … Read More