Since the beginning of Dadaism in the Cabaret Voltaire, Zürich in 1916, many artists have experimented with extreme performance art as a critique of contemporary consumer culture. Some have used bodily fluids such as blood, faeces and urine. Other times they perform self-mutilation. Simulated (artificial) blood has also been used. In the 1960s and 1970s extreme performance was elevated to a movement with the Viennese actionists. In recent times there has been a resurgence in extreme performance as a response to the increasing alienation some artists feel in the face of today's technological advances.

Artists

Some contemporary artists using extreme performance include:

  • Ron Athey
  • Abel Azcona
  • Franko B
  • Bob Flanagan
  • Yang Zhichao
  • Rocío Boliver
  • monochrom, e.g. Eignblunzn, Buried Alive (performance)

References

  • "Some Art's Painful by Design". Newsweek.
  • The 8 Top Shocking Art Performances . Artiholics.