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Jean-Paul Fargier coins 'tivitalité' for video art critique

opinion-review · 2026-05-01

In his insightful essay, Jean-Paul Fargier presents the idea of 'tivitalité' to explore the transition of artists towards video mediums. He highlights the significant presence of both occasional and full-time video artists featured at Documenta 9, held in Kassel in the summer of 1992. Notable names on the roster include Bill Viola, Tony Oursler, Martial Raysse, Bruce Nauman, Max Neuhaus, Gary Hill, Dan Graham, Rose Finn-Keley, Stan Douglas, Eugenio Dittborn, Sylvie et Chérif Defraoui, Tony Conrad, James Coleman, Marie-José Burki, Dara Birnbaum, and Marina Abramovic.

Key facts

  • Jean-Paul Fargier invents the concept of 'tivitalité'.
  • The concept analyzes artists' evolution toward video.
  • Documenta 9 in Kassel, summer 1992, features numerous video artists.
  • Artists include Marina Abramovic, Bruce Nauman, Bill Viola, and others.
  • The list comprises both occasional and permanent video artists.

Entities

Artists

  • Marina Abramovic
  • Jean-Pierre Bertrand
  • Dara Birnbaum
  • Marie-José Burki
  • James Coleman
  • Tony Conrad
  • Sylvie Defraoui
  • Chérif Defraoui
  • Eugenio Dittborn
  • Stan Douglas
  • Rose Finn-Keley
  • Dan Graham
  • Gary Hill
  • Rebecca Horn
  • Matt Mullican
  • Bruce Nauman
  • Max Neuhaus
  • Tony Oursler
  • Martial Raysse
  • Bill Viola
  • Jean-Paul Fargier

Institutions

  • Documenta

Locations

  • Kassel
  • Germany

Sources