WHAT IS PERFORMANCE ART ? 2025

WHAT IS PERFORMANCE ART ?
Edition of 50 copies, 2025
14,8 x 21 cm
94 pgs

33 artists answer our question to give form and voice to their works.

For some time now, it has been possible to find meanings for what might constitute performance or performance art, and whether we can distinguish between the two terms—or even whether the name "Performance Art" is appropriate for this artistic development.
It has become almost inevitable, in any discourse on performance, to begin by highlighting the very impossibility of defining it. Could this elusiveness be an integral part of its definition?
Faced with this difficulty, it is often concluded that this instability is one of its fundamental characteristics—and its dominance in the current artistic landscape is undeniable. What can we say about performance today in relation to the foundational approaches of earlier artists?
An artist has nothing to do with what already exists; they are not engaged in imitation but strive to be sincere with their life and emotions. They propose a role for performance in abolishing the barriers between high art and popular culture. By focusing on their body, they come to play a central role in questioning the "real," "difference"—whether cultural or ethnic—and in participating in the broader debate of international culture in the age of mass media.
It reflects the growing importance that the academic sphere now accords to performance—whether in philosophy, architecture, or anthropology—and analyzes the impact of this artistic field on intellectual history.
To try to grasp, interpret, or embrace the multiplicity of meanings encompassed by performance, we have invited contemporary artists from around the world to give form and voice to their works.
BOOKS WILL BE SEND AFTER 18 JUNE 2025