The Tasks of Endurance Art in Performance
The endurance of the body as an art form; the endurance of breath, pain, muscle, strength, and will have been utilized as key components in performance art. For the community of performance artists, body endurance and durability facilitates a broader importance than the ability of the human form to be able to bear and resist considerable force and pain. Rather, these attributes to the human sensory system have become tools that are used to invoke energy both internally and externally from the performers but also from the audience. Marina Abramovic is one such performance artist who has spent the majority of her professional career exploring and creating this energy between performer and audience using it to portray a variety of different themes and ideas. Janine Antoni is another performance artist who has developed sculpture as a medium for a portion of her works; removing herself from her pieces and making her presence represented only in memory. During this essay I will explore the world of performance art and the relationship between the theme of bodily endurance and its relationship and function in performance art. Also, I will delve into the relationship between the artists and their works and explore how the pieces they created may function singularly with or without their creators/operators.
Marina Abramovic was born in Montenegro, Belgrade in 1946. One of two children, she was born into a famous family. Her father was a national hero due to his service in the army, and her mother was a major in the army and director of the Museum of Art. Her grandfather also held a significant title in history as one of the founders and patriarchs of the Orthodox Church. Abramovic grew up in a home teaming with political and artistic energy. Her home-life, however, was turbulent and she was neglected by her parents due to their already filled lives, and left to develop on her own. Her childhood, although in many ways...