Performance art is a part of visual arts. Performance is an event created by an individual or group of people and expresses previously generated in front of an audience; to express their idea performance artists use their bodies and any other means available.
Performance art originates in 20th century Futurists and Dadaist actions. Performance art became a separate art form in the 60s, when books were published, discussions happened and first performance art festivals were organised.
One of the turning points in performance art history was performance 18 happenings in 6 parts by American artist Allan Karpow in 1959 at Reuben gallery in New York. Similar events was organised before but in a small circle of friends and this was the first public performance event open for broader audience. After this New York’s society activists started to organise similar events under the name happening.
Circa 1960 in New York was formed the legendary art group Fluxus (George Maciunas, Dick Higgins, Allan Karpow, Nam June Paik, Joseph Beuys, Wolf Vostell, La Monte Young, Yoko Ono, John Cage, and Al Hansen). They created performances, installations, objects, literature, design and sound art. Over the 30 years many artists from different countries have worked in this group, some of these artists still continue their activities in Fluxus style. Fluxus artists created short absurd performances, for example, after a signal all performers standing in a row cough, lift their hat or stamp their feet with conductor standing in front of them to direct their activities. They also made different experiments with music. Yoko Ono was one of the members of Fluxus group; her most known performance was “Cut Piece” in Kyoto in 1964 where she asked audience to cut off piece of her clothing.
In the 60s performances or happenings were everywhere in USA, Europe, Asia. Visual artists broke down the conventions of the usual art. Around 1955 French artist Yves Klein started to create monochrome paintings. Then he decided to press models against the canvas instead of painting them; the next step was performance art. In 1960 he organised performance Anthropometry of the blue period in Paris. Audience was dressed in formal evening wear, orchestra was playing, artist himself was dressed in smoking and naked models painting themselves with blue paint and dragging each other over the canvas laid on the floor. Another remarkable artist was Italian Piero Manzoni who in his exhibition Living Sculptures in 1961 signed people as his artwork. One of the most prominent 60s German artists is Joseph Beuys whose most known performance is – I like America and America likes me, which took place in 1974 in New York. Performance happened for a week in a gallery where artist was locked in together with wild coyote. His idea was to demonstrate America’s aggression against nature and its indigenes – Indians, symbolised by coyote.
In the 60s huge controversy was created by Viennese actionists (Günter Brus, Otto Mühl, Hermann Nitsch, and Rudolf Schwarzkogler). Their main goal was to step over all possible society rules, norms, and taboos. Their actions were set up like religious rituals, using animal blood and inner organs; the intention was to achieve audience’s spiritual purity trough suffering.
Separate performance art genre which resolved in 70s and exists till nowadays is experiments with human body – Live art. Most notable representatives of this genre are Chris Burden and for modern artists – Sterlac
Performance art is a part of visual arts. Performance is an event created by an individual or group of people and expresses previously generated in front of an audience; to express their idea performance artists use their bodies and any other means available.
Also in Latvia performance art developed in 1960s; first performances happened secretly in apartments, cafes “Kaza” and “Dieva auss”, on the roofs of buildings. Mostly they were organised by a close circle of friends – all audience was simultaneously the participants. Besides since 1963 some of these events took place in Rundāle Palace which then wasn’t renovated. These performances were dedicated to various themes and participants included theatre director Māra Ķimele, painter Imants Lancmanis, painter Maija Tabaka and Jānis Krievs.
By the end of 60s one of the most active performance artists in Latvia was Andris Grīnbergs for who performances (happenings) were a great part of life. Most of his performances (approx. 30) took place in his apartment. He involved in happenings his friends and family, like his wife artist Inta Grīnberga, other like-minded allies – photographer Mudīte Gaiševska, philosopher Sandris Rīga, artist Eižens Valpēters, and as well completely unfamiliar people. Each happening had its motive; results were unpredictable, the important part was the process. One of the most well-known performances was The Wedding of Jesus Christ (1972) – artists and his future wife’s wedding ritual. With participation of invited guests dressed in performance author’s made gown. The performance took place on the beach of Carnikava, during the course of the evening different rituals were performed, for example, each guest was blindfolded and asked to find the partner for the evening. Like in every wedding there was wedding bed, situated on the beach, where newlyweds spent the night.
In the 70s performance art in Latvia was still underground. In 1976 and 1977 was organised the first informal avant-garde music festivals in former Riga Polytechnic institute Students’ Club and The Art Academy of Soviet Latvia. These festivals were initiative by musician Boriss Avramecs and artist Hardijs Lediņš. During the one of the festivals the first public performance took place in front of large audience; procedure was simple – one person on the stage started to eat bread while the other began throw in audience sheets of plastic.
Also in the beginning of 80s in Latvia performance happens in secret – for example cinema director Juris Pakalniņš and his friends organised events – Olympic Games, imaginary pilot’s funereal or absurd Criminalistics Day celebration.
During the 80s formed legendary Latvian phenomenon – group Nebijušu Sajūtu Restaurēšanas Darbnīca/ NSRD/ Restoration Workshop of Unprecedented Feelings – created by Hardijs Lediņš and Juris Boiko; NSRD performed with Imants Žodžiks, Ingūna Černova and Aigars Sparāns. From 1982 till 2002 in their events and performances participated many artists and musicians: Mārtiņš Rutkis, Nils Īle, Ieva Akurātere, Boriss Avramecs, Edīte Baušķeniece, Roberts Gobziņš, Maija Lūsēna, Ingus Baušķenieks, also actors, directors, architects and other creative people. Absolute classic is NSRD’s action Gājiens uz Bolderāju /Procession to Bolderāja, which happened each year from Hardijs Lediņš’s home in Imanta to Bolderāja – a place with no seeming reason to go to. NSRD also pioneered video art and music in Latvia. Poet Juris Boiko created performance Doktora Enesera binokulāro deju kursi/ Doctor Eneser’s binocular dance classes – dance classes for eyes. On the big screen two blinking eyes were shown and on the background doctor Eneser’s voice gave instructions to eye dancers – when to shut, when to open one or another eye.
The end of the 80s and the beginning of the 90s is the zenith for performance art in Latvia; that coincided with the time when Latvia regained its freedom from Soviet Union. Almost in every public event happened performances. For example, in 1984 during the Art Days, Ivars and Inese Mailīši and Aigars Grauba performed their action Oranžā Helikoptera akcija / Orange Helicopter action. It was orange helicopter hung on a cable and let flying across Doma Square over the heads of audience, in a symbolic way conquering evil forces – object made from fabric.
The most controversial performance for unprepared soviet audience was created by Oļegs Tilbergs, Sarmīte Māliņa and Sergejs Davidovs – action Būri/ Cages in 1987. Performed during the Art Days it took place on the Philharmonic Square; there was metal cage and a man dressed in Soviet Army uniform was sleeping in it. This performance was as a symbol for those days society’s restrictions.
One of the Latvian performance art pinnacle artists was painter Miervaldis Polis and his creation Bronze Man. This character was so successful and vast that it could be transformed according to situation. So sometimes artist dressed in suit and hat and painted in bronze colour from head to toes was just walking in the crowded streets of Riga, stood in the place of Lenin’s monument or was selling bronze sunflower seeds near Laima clock.
During the 90s many new artists crashed the borders between different art types – music, video, sound and form. Performance with video was combining such artists as Jurģis Krāsons and Kristaps Gulbis. Boundaries of traditional concert was brought down by band Visādi gadījumi/ Different Cases (Regnārs Vaivars, Varis Piņķis, Krists Poreiters, Ieva Samta, Rūta Liepiņa and Ivo Blūms), during a concert they distributed menthol candy to audience. Artis Dzērve, who started his actions in 90s, was the first Latvian artist to study performance art with world known performance artist Marina Abramovich.
Interesting phenomenon in the end of 90s was female artist group Latvijas Neatkarīgās Sieviešu Līgas Projekts/ Latvian Independent Female League Project (Inga Šteimane, Silja Pogule, Ingrīda Zābere, Izolde Cēsniece, Kristīne Keire, later also Ilze Breidaka). Their most original performance was Sarunu rezultāti/ Conversation results. It was in 1999 at so called Biržas Nams (Stock house). All the group members lived there for the whole week, during the daytime they accepted visitors but in the evenings they had dinner with poplar men, for example, that time Riga mayor Andris Bērziņš and businessman Viesturs Koziols.
Around the year 2000 in performance art began to work Kirils Panteļējevs, group Auseklic/Usins (Dace Gaile, Zane Matule, Kristaps Pūce, Gatis Vectirāns, Krišs Zilgalvis), they also participated in many international performance art festivals, Izlode Cēsniece, who also works as her own performance director, Ieva Sara Breikša, Kristaps Pūce, who has close connection with industrial subculture, Zane Matule, Liepaja artist Grantēns, group Totaldobže and others.