Naked Ass

I offer you a number of unpleasant remarks addressed to what is generally considered ‘performance’, and sometimes happens to be Art.

I speak on my own behalf, which means that I do not represent a certain opinion or particular group, although I wish other artists signed their names below my statement. I belong to the oldest generation of artists who established the principles and foundations of this discipline. I devoted over 35 years of my life to performance art and my reflections are collected in my 4 books.

I am spiritually connected with it forever. I am still full of admiration for artists, both for the old and the young, who ‘give everything of themselves’, set the highest standards for themselves. But reservations arise in me and I am against what imposes on and enters into the area of art, called “performance”.

I am immune to contempt and megalomania with which the renowned galleries, museums and politicians approach performance art, and the world art market, where attractive goods count more than art and creativity (and this goes in favour of performance artists). It becomes worse when ‘performance industry’, in which the major role is played by business show specialists and frauds, completely deprived of basic respect for art and artistic needs. What constitutes the quality of performance art is delicate and ephemeral matter that can be verified only in friendly circumstances. Festivals packed with artists are good for dog races, but not for contemplating ephemeral artistic impressions, empathy and emotional following of an artist, spiritual closeness required by this very and only kind of artistic activity. A parade of ideas and means used to convey them does not get transformed into an artistic message. Rather it reminds of a slave market.

My remarks:

1. The absence of performance art in art. Self-satisfaction, self-sufficiency which satisfy performance artists resulted in a situation where their voice stopped counting in contemporary art. Positive features of artistic independence were taken beyond the area of artistic phenomena of a substantial significance due to the illusory safety guaranteed by being among ‘your peers’.

2. Current performance art is not accompanied or guided by any deeper and more important artistic ideas. Just like the majority of other artists, performance artists confine themselves to the thoughtless consumption of popular ideas belonging to the catalogue of political correctness, or they surrender to ideological terror imposed by the world media.

3. The indifference of art critics in relation to performance art results from points 1. and 2., as well as from the fact that performance art does not create any interest in the art market, and this counts in its favour.

4. Performance art is not subject to internal criticism, neither is it an issue of dispute on artistic qualities. It allows frauds and ‘clever dicks’ to come into action, exchanging invitations to other festivals. Nobody cares about promoting young artists, fully engaged and eager to verify their potential, The principle of performance uniqueness gets ignored, cases of stealing and borrowing ideas become common.

5. Art of the 60s originated from a lack of accepting the world and its culture as appeared at that time. Freedom from the surveillance of institutions and the art market allowed new forms of art to evolve, including performance art and some extraordinary artists. Contemporary artists look for profitable dependencies, which are to make their life easy, hence they become suppliers of goods and exchange between companies. Not artists any more, but curators creating artistic programmes.

6. The contemptuous attitude of elites and the establishment towards artists does not diminish their value, on the contrary, it can count in their favour, if we are aware what standards these elites represent. However, the fact that artists consider themselves loosers dependent on somebody else’s favour, does not prove their independence, force of will or creative energy.

I expect more inventiveness, determination, ideological and social aggressiveness.

7. Therefore it came to my mind top use the term “naked ass” instead of

“performance”.

Zbigniew Warpechowski

Sandomierz 2004

Translation Małgorzata Sady