“If a painter also does performance art, the art world is extremely skeptical - it’s considered a trivialization of one form by another.” Carolee Schneemann, 1988 (Cited by Kaye,1996 a)
This essay will explore which philosophical outlooks might have lead to the statement above being true at the time of writing, assess whether these are still prevalent attitudes today and hypothesis how this might affect current and future practitioners. Within the text I aim to define some key terms, identify hybridity as an area of exciting development, indicate some interesting practitioners in the field and place current developments in a wider social context.
Performance art is a loose term ‘often used simply to describe, identify or quantify a certain work of art as having a relation to performance or performance-like attributes ... Performance art does not present the illusion of events, but rather presents actual events as art.’ (Hoffmann and Jonas, 2005) ‘... It can be any artistic manifestation or action that is presented in front of an audience, although, in contrast to theatre, it is not based on a pre-determined set of dialogues.(Hoffmann and Jonas, 2005, citing Goldberg, 1979)’
To consider an art-form ‘trivialized’, it is necessary for it to have been transformed from another state, one of greater importance. It is also necessary to accept that some critics believe the arts are more important when they are distinct from each other, when they are ‘pure’. This idea of artistic purity within a singular medium is one that Modernist, Abstract Expressionist painters and theorist Clement Greenberg explored (Marthinsen 2002), echoing Plato’s discussions of art and what is desirable in his ideal society(Melling 1987).
Current, postmodern, artists are, by default, influenced by modernist thought. ‘Postmodern’ is also a loose term and many art movements can be included under its banner. Postmodern reactions to modernist ideas may include questioning ideas of originality, status and purity and a desire to break free from categorization. Bricolage is strongly associated with Postmodernism and it can be described as the joining together of fragments not previously associated with each other. Derrida(1967), suggested that we are all bricoleurs as we are all influenced by many things.
Hybridity, does it trivialize art?
“ If a painter also does performance art, the art world is extremely skeptical - it ʼ s considered a trivialization of one form by another. ” Carolee Schneemann, 1988 (Cited by Kaye,1996 a)
This essay will explore which philosophical outlooks might have lead to the statement above being true at the time of writing, assess whether these are still prevalent attitudes today and hypothesis how this might affect current and future practitioners. Within the text I aim to define some key terms, identify hybridity as an area of exciting development, indicate some interesting practitioners in the field and place current developments in a wider social context.
Performance art is a loose term ʻ often used simply to describe, identify or quantify a certain work of art as having a relation to performance or performance-like attributes ...
Performance art does not present the illusion of events, but rather presents actual events as art. ʼ (Hoffmann and Jonas, 2005) ʻ ... It can be any artistic manifestation or action that is presented in front of an audience, although, in contrast to theatre, it is not based on a pre- determined set of dialogues. (Hoffmann and Jonas, 2005, citing Goldberg, 1979) ʼ
To consider an art-form ʻtrivializedʼ, it is necessary for it to have been transformed from another state, one of greater importance. It is also necessary to accept that some critics believe the arts are more important when they are distinct from each other, when they are ʻpureʼ. This idea of artistic purity within a singular medium is one that Modernist, Abstract Expressionist painters and theorist Clement Greenberg explored (Marthinsen 2002), echoing Platoʼs discussions of art and what is desirable in his ideal society (Melling 1987).
Current, postmodern, artists are, by default, influenced by modernist thought.
‘Postmodern’ is also a loose term and many art movements can be included under its banner. Postmodern reactions to modernist ideas may include questioning ideas of originality, status and purity and a desire to break free from categorization. Bricolage is strongly associated with Postmodernism and it can be described as the joining together of fragments not previously associated with each other. Derrida (1967), suggested that we are all bricoleurs as we are all influenced by many things. (1)
It is against this well established background of critical thinking that hybrid and multi disciplinary artists such as Schnemann find themselves working. If ‘multi-disciplinary’ is taken to describe an artist who works with different genres in separate pieces, the term ‘hybrid’ could be used to describe one who uses different genres in the same piece of work.
Hybridity, perhaps, is an expanded form of bricolage, related but separate from Jorg Heiser’s (2010) ‘super-hybridity’. The concept of hybridity is closely linked to postmodern questions relating to modernist ideas such as purity and abstraction. It is a word with negative connotations (Cohen &Toninato, 2007) but Leah Marthensen (2002) and I argue that ʻ it can represent increased intensity, knowledge and experience.ʼ RoseLee Goldberg (1979) believes artists have always been multi-disciplinary and that the separation of the disciplines is relatively recent, suggesting that current hybrid practices are a return to an older, more holistic view of the creative arts.
ʻ If there is one generally acknowledged characteristic of post-modernism, it is profound skepticism about the universal validity of any single narrative, or theoretical ʻ story ʼ concerning human affairs.ʼ (Blake, 1996, citing Lyotard, 1979)
Modern Painters magazine (March 2011) wrote that ʻ theatricality has been a prominent mode of contemporary art since the decline of modernism... a reaction against the modernist emphasis on purity, abstraction, materiality and concept. ʼ They go on to say that much of the most interesting work, currently, is film and video, a medium which, due to itʼs nature and its relative newness, is hybrid in the extreme.
The problem with being someone who doesn ʼ t fit in one or the other form is that you get trashed from both sides. The visual arts people say it ʼ s not hip enough, but the theatre people think it ʼ s too cold. ʼ Ping Chong, 1990 (cited by Kaye, 1996 b)
Schneemannʼs comment implies a rejection of Modernist values such as purity and an attempt at breaking down traditional genre boundaries. This sentiment is echoed by theatre maker and artist Ping Chong who demands that the scenography associated with his productions is ʻ not just passively sitting there ... it ʼ s a statement that has it ʼ s own weight . ʼ As Penny Saunders of Forkbeard Fantasy says ʻ details have to say something to be pertinent (Crawley 2007 cited by Burnett 2007).ʼ Chong and Saunders are both expressing a need for the performances they are engaged with to be read as complete texts, the scenography is not simply a pretty backdrop to the ʻreal actionʼ, any visual or aural details have the same importance as the performed elements and can be read in similar terms to sculpture or painting. There are interesting questions here surrounding what can now be considered the defining factors within each genre when performances might be durational to the extent that the audience now needs to relate to them in a manner previously associated with the visual arts and sculptures may be presented as performances (Gaggie, 1986).(2)
Within Performance Art, attitudes have changed. Marina Abramovic has moved from describing theatre as ʻ the enemy ʼ (Kaye 1996 c) to re-creating her Performance Art history in a theatrical contex t, blurring boundaries between ʻpureʼ performance art and ʻpureʼ theatre. Staged...and yet real. Circus, a medium currently enjoying rapid growth (Micklem 2006) and being often incorporated in hybrid work (Wilson 2011), seems ideal for these explorations as, when circus skills are performed (3), to use a quote from Abramovic, ʻ the knife is real, the blood is real ʼ (Ayers 2010) and yet the event is (normally) thoroughly staged, presenting a dichotomy between usual distinctions in live arts - the ʻillusionʼ of theatre and the ʻtruthʼ of performance art.
Frequently asked questions
What is the central question explored in the essay?
The essay explores the question of whether hybridity in art trivializes it, considering a quote by Carolee Schneemann about the art world's skepticism towards artists who work in multiple forms.
What are the key terms defined in the essay?
The essay aims to define terms such as "performance art," "trivialized," "purity," "Modernist," "Abstract Expressionist," "Postmodern," "bricolage," "multi-disciplinary," and "hybrid."
How does the essay define Performance Art?
The essay uses definitions from Hoffmann and Jonas (2005), stating that performance art presents actual events as art and is not based on a pre-determined set of dialogues, differentiating it from theatre.
What is the essay's stance on artistic purity?
The essay discusses the Modernist idea of artistic purity within a singular medium, as explored by Clement Greenberg and echoing Plato's views. It contrasts this with Postmodern reactions that question originality, status, and purity.
How does the essay describe 'bricolage'?
The essay explains bricolage as the joining together of fragments not previously associated with each other, associating it with Postmodernism.
What is meant by "multi-disciplinary" versus "hybrid" in the context of the essay?
The essay differentiates between "multi-disciplinary," describing an artist who works with different genres in separate pieces, and "hybrid," describing an artist who uses different genres in the same piece of work.
What is the essay's perspective on hybridity?
The essay presents hybridity as potentially an expanded form of bricolage and linked to postmodern questions regarding modernist ideas such as purity and abstraction. It notes the negative connotations of the word but argues that it can represent increased intensity, knowledge, and experience.
How does the essay connect theatricality to contemporary art?
The essay cites Modern Painters magazine (March 2011), stating that theatricality has been a prominent mode of contemporary art since the decline of modernism, as a reaction against modernist emphasis on purity, abstraction, materiality, and concept. Film and video are highlighted as extremely hybrid mediums.
What is Ping Chong's perspective on scenography?
The essay references Ping Chong, who believes that scenography should not just passively sit there but be a statement that has its own weight, emphasizing that visual details have the same importance as performed elements.
How have attitudes within Performance Art changed?
The essay notes that Marina Abramovic has moved from considering theatre as "the enemy" to re-creating her Performance Art history in a theatrical context, blurring boundaries between "pure" performance art and "pure" theatre.
How does the essay relate circus to the discussion of hybridity and performance art?
The essay suggests that circus, often incorporated in hybrid work, is ideal for exploring the blurring boundaries between the "illusion" of theatre and the "truth" of performance art, referencing Abramovic's quote about the "real" knife and blood in circus skills.
How does the essay address the status of "low brow" arts?
The essay acknowledges that circus, burlesque, and other entertainments are traditionally viewed as "low brow." However, it notes that postmodernism has blurred status boundaries, and "low brow" works have been accepted into the canon of high art, citing examples like Robert Mapplethorp's photography and Annie Sprinkle's burlesque shows.
- Quote paper
- Imogen Pettitt (Author), 2011, Hybridity, does it trivialise art?, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/190241
