Post-Internet Performance: From Spectacle to Tangible Truth
Angela Vettese explores how performance art has transformed in the post-internet age, moving away from minimalism and shock tactics toward refined presentations that emphasize authenticity. Contemporary artists such as Tania Bruguera, Cally Spooner, Alexandra Pirici, and Joan Jonas prioritize accessibility, contrasting with the confrontational approaches of earlier figures like Vito Acconci and Marina Abramović. This shift responds to the influence of social media and a quest for genuine expression amid digital distortions. Vettese highlights institutions like the revamped MoMA (2014) and Rome's MAXXI, which opened with Sasha Waltz's performance in 2009, as spaces that encourage physical engagement. She also traces the lineage of research-based art and notes recent publications, asserting that modern performance embodies varied political narratives, as indicated by Deleuze and Guattari's "Millepiani."
Key facts
- Performance art has evolved from shock and minimalism to polished, accessible productions.
- Tania Bruguera's works are provocative but have enjoyable direction, even when involving imprisonment.
- Museums like MoMA (2014 renovation) and MAXXI (2009 inauguration with Sasha Waltz) are designed for bodily movement.
- Research-based art requires concentration and lengthy captions, exemplified by artists like Hans Haacke, Carolee Schneeman, Antoni Muntadas, Renée Green, Center for Land Use Interpretation (1994), Map Office (1997), and Multiplicity (2000).
- Claire Bishop's book 'Attenzione disordinata' has been translated into Italian by Johan and Levi.
- Teresa Macrì's 'Stato di incanto – Danza, non-danza, post-danza e performance art' was published in 2025 by Postmediabook.
- The anthology 'Performance+Pedagogia' edited by Roberta Bernasconi, Giulia Crisci, and Alessandro Tollari was published in 2025 by Luca Sossella Editore.
- Deleuze and Guattari's 'Millepiani' prefigured the current rhizomatic proliferation of artistic languages.
Entities
Artists
- Angela Vettese
- Hans Haacke
- Carolee Schneeman
- Antoni Muntadas
- Renée Green
- Center for Land Use Interpretation
- Map Office
- Multiplicity
- Sasha Waltz
- Vito Acconci
- Marina Abramović
- Ulay
- Tino Sehgal
- Antonin Artaud
- Tania Bruguera
- Simone Forti
- Trisha Brown
- Cally Spooner
- Alexandra Pirici
- Joan Jonas
- Claire Bishop
- Teresa Macrì
- Roberta Bernasconi
- Giulia Crisci
- Alessandro Tollari
- bell hooks
- Deleuze
- Guattari
- Giordano Bruno
Institutions
- MoMA
- MAXXI
- Johan and Levi
- Postmediabook
- Luca Sossella Editore
- Artribune
- Judson Theatre
- Living Theatre
Locations
- Los Angeles
- United States
- Hong Kong
- China
- Milan
- Italy
- Rome