Abandoned Art : an Unexpected Performance Piece

presented at five museums  2012 - 2013

  Uninvited and unexpected, I am wearing/carrying my artwork into the hallowed halls of museums and into public spaces as a performance art piece. This has become a living artwork, as I am actively inserting my images into a public dialog.

  The concept for this performance piece originated over a decade ago. Faced with the frustration involved in the search for good exposure for my artwork, it seemed to me that if one couldn't get decent exposure, then indecent exposure would be the alternative.

  My artistic intention with these performances is to bring my still images into motion in a very visible way. It is also an intervention, injecting unexpected art into established venues. This is an unauthorized, yet not illicit action, a creative response to the obstacles artists face in attempting to get their work shown and seen. It is about being visible/invisible, ironically using something as vulnerable as paper and dreams for body armor.

  In the performance I enter these spaces, doing a silent mindful walk, carrying my sculptured drawings, either alone or with other women. In procession, dressed in black and veiled, each carrying one of my "Ribcage Shields," handmade paper stretched over wire forms. The paper skins are embedded with drawings and text from my dream journals. Through passages of translucency and opacity the shields present a stimulating interplay between what is visible and what is hidden.

  Addressing personal issues of abandonment and under recognition, I am enabling myself to share these images and to bring attention to this issue of lack of visibility for most artists. This raises the question of the artist's function and relevance in society and the importance of our work being seen, not just because it is sellable and in fashion, in fact because it isn't. In today's fragile social fabric, I believe that art needs to be more visible as a means for artists to reflect and dialog with society.