Three Portraits of Performers
Three Portraits of Performers is a suite of three videos based on specific performance artists’ museum exhibitions held in New York City spring 2010. The project incorporates the voices of a number of emerging artists, practicing in different cities internationally, and considers the influence of these performance exhibitions today. Three Portraits of Performers makes an allusion in its name to Gertrude Stein’s collection of three short essays, Three Portraits of Painters, about Matisse, Cezanne, and Picasso.
(1) The Way of Progress, 2010, video, 5’17 minutes.
The Way of Progress is a performance of a loose transcription from my experience of artist Tino Sehgal’s piece “This is Progress” (Guggenheim Museum, New York, March 2010). Sehgal stipulates that his art pieces are not to be documented in any way. This piece has screened as part of the ArcheTime: Interdisciplinary Festival, the Eternal Telethon (Machine Project, Los Angeles), and its sound script is forthcoming in print from the journal [out of nothing]. Performer artists: Cristina Arias (New York/ Dallas), Carlos Contente (San Paulo), Iker Lekuona (Mexico City/ London), Nick Mathis (New York), Alejandro Almanza Pereda (Mexico City/ New York).
(2) My Heart Archives, 2011, video, 5’00, color and audio.
Still #1
My Heart Archives relates to Christian Boltanski’s “Archives du Coeur” project and incorporates the voices of two other artists, working in Bretagne, France and in Taipei, Taiwan, respectively. Together, over Skype, we mimic the sound of my heartbeat as recorded for Boltanski’s project so as to ‘beat’ Boltanski’s recording of it to its designated destination, Teshmina Island in the Japanese Inland Sea. Performing artists: Jun’Ichiro Ishii (Japan/ France), Nung-Hsin Hu (Taiwan/ USA).
(3) Match Strategy, 2011, video, 5’00, color and audio.
Still #1
Match Strategy refers to Marina Abramovic’s “The Artist Is Present”. In conversation with four other artists based in Los Angeles, I ask the question: How would you choose to meet or break the stare of Abramovic? The discussion acts a summary for the Three Portraits project in general, as it concludes with a litany of responses on the problematics of historicization, especially as it relates to performance art of this new contemporary era. Performing artists: John Burtle (Los Angeles), Josh Mannis (Los Angeles), Anna Mayer (Los Angeles), David Weldzius (Los Angeles).