Performance Art

art · live action · creative expression · 20th century

Artist as the art. In performance art, the person creating the work is right there doing it in front of you. It's not just a painting or sculpture you look at from a distance, but something happening live.

Can be witnessed live. You can watch performance art happen in real time, or you can see it through photos and videos later. Either way, the moment the artist performs is the actual artwork itself.

Spontaneous or planned. Some performance art is carefully rehearsed and scripted, while other pieces happen on the spot with no script at all. Both kinds are equally valid as art.

Shaped modern art history. Performance art became super important in the 1900s when artists wanted to try radical new ways of creating and sharing their ideas. It helped push art beyond just paintings and sculptures.

Many different forms. Performance art can include dance, music, spoken words, costumes, props, or just the artist's body and voice. There are no strict rules about what it has to be.