Wiels Explores Performance as Exhibition in 'The Other Tradition'

Between February 25 and May 1, 2011, the exhibition 'The Other Tradition' was showcased in Brussels, curated by Elena Filipovic. This exhibition focused on the representation of action and performance within museum settings. Filipovic favored the phrase 'actions mises en œuvre' instead of 'performance,' featuring artists like Roman Ondák, Tino Sehgal, and Jirí Skála, who incorporated actors to carry out routine tasks in the museum. The exhibition raised the question of how to effectively present performance art, transforming live actions and specific contexts into an exhibition format. Notable contributions included Danai Anesiadou and Sharon Hayes, whose installations illustrated that the act of exhibiting is integral to the artwork itself. The absence of Tris Vonna-Michell, despite his work 'enfolds' (2011), was a noted disappointment, echoing the sentiment from Sung Hwan Kim's film: 'You never saw it happening, right? So it never happened.' Other participating artists included Ei Arakawa, Cezary Bodzianowski, Jimmy Robert, Katerina Sedá, and Pilvi Takala.