In light of the Boston Globe's recent article by Cate McQuaid on performance art in Boston, I've been searching the archives of Big Red & Shiny for coverage of Boston's finest performance artists and performances through the years. I wasn't surprised at all to find that Big Red & Shiny has been front and center in Boston's performance art scene, and this selection of links proves that performance art is indeed thriving in the city.
In the early stages of Big Red & Shiny, Natalie Loveless contributed much about performance art in Boston through the years. One of her earlier pieces is Between (The performance and its Remnant) about a performance art event held in Andrew Square and an exhibition by Surasi Kusolwong held at the Rose Art Museum at Brandeis University. For the 2004 Whitney Biennial, Loveless wrote about the work of Meirle Ukeles and Pia Lindman for Volume 1, Issue 6. For Volume 1, issue 9 published on July 18, 2004, Natalie sat down to write about the state of performance art in Boston, an article that has been revisited (consciously or not) through the years by many other writers and critics in the city. In March of 2007, Jed Speare wrote about Contaminate II, a festival featuring 16 artists, held at the unfinished "café" space of the redeveloped, post-industrial Midway Studios in Fort Point. In issue #120 of Volume 1, Aaron Howland wrote about a performance and dance choreographed by Alisia LL Waller in Alisia LL Waller Gives Me Nightmares. In January 2010, Christian Holland covered Jessica Gath's The World Famous Secretary in For You, 9-5 held at Meme Gallery in Central Square. For this version of Big Red & Shiny's third Journal issue, Matt Kuhlman sat through all 12 hours of Time Body Space Objects 2 at Anthony Greaney Gallery on October 20, 2013.
In April of 2013, Anulfo Baez attended a performance of Strangers by Amalia Pica performed at the List Visual Arts Center at MIT and held in conjunction with Pica's first solo exhibition in the USA. In March of 2013, Stephanie Cardon attended Stitching the Shore, an event held in conjunction with System: ECOnomies at Boston University's 808 Gallery. Stephanie also brought us a review of Andrea Fraser's performance Men on the Line, KPFK 1972. In October 2012, Anulfo Baez reviewed Katrina Chamberlin's performance Mnemonic, performed on October 25 and 26 at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in conjunction with the exhibition Something Along Those Lines. Here's Alexis Avedisian's take on Feed Them With A Long Spoon by Brooklyn based artist Derrick Adams performed at The Mills Gallery on September 2012 in conjunction with his first solo exhibition in Boston The World According to Derrick: Performative Objects in Formation. In issue #113 of BR&S Volume 1, published in August 2009, Jessica Moore writes about Mobius' second drawing marathon organized by Mobius member Margaret Bellafiore.
James Manning has photographed several performances for Big Red & Shiny including INSTANT MESSAGING: the performances on October 6, 2012 at Anthony Greaney Gallery and Buried: Funerals and other Formal Arrangements performed at Park Street Church in 2010. Bob Raymond, Mobius Artists Group member photographed Joanne Rice's The Human Cost of War performed at Trinity Church.
Throughout the years, interviews have included Vela Phelan, Phil Fryer and Sandrine Schaefer in conversation with Matthew Nash, Lee Mingwei in conversation with John Pyper, Andrea Fraser in conversation with Stephanie Cardon, and Bradley Benedetti in conversation with Sandrine Schaefer. Also found in the Big Red & Shiny archives is a conversation with Triiibe and Jason Landry. On April 18, 2013 Alexis Avedisian interviewed Verena Stenke and Andrea Pagnes who most recently took part in Near Death Performance Art Experience at the Boston Center for the Arts. In April 2013, in light of the upcoming performance art event at the MFA Boston, Odd Spaces, and the panel discussion that will follow, Liz Munsell, interviews Marilyn Arsem and Sarah Sulistio interviews Kate McNamara, BU Art Gallery's Director and Chief Curator.
Our podcast series Studio Sessions with Matt Kuhlman has also brought us up close and personal with many of our artists who incorporate performance art into their practice. On November 06, 2012, we were introduced to the work of Garett Yahn, in the January 15, 2013 podcast Kuhlman speaks with Kirk Snow who incorporates performative and sculptural methods into his work, and in the January 29, 2013 podcast, we hear Andrea Evans explain how her performances and drawings have evolved out of her experiences as an artist. Most recently in the March 26, 2013 podcast, Kuhlman speaks with Maximiliano Sinani. Kuhlman's April 23, 2013 conversation for Studio Sessions is with Rob Andrews, Brooklyn-based performance artist whose pieces often deal with ritual and transformation.
Big Red & Shiny has also gone far to cover performance art outside of Boston. In October of 2012, Alexis Avedisian wrote about the video documentation of Within The Present Tense: Rough Trade II Performance Exchange held in both Boston and Chicago. In 2009, Thomas Bird took us to China to cover the Open Art Realization Performance Art Festival and Alise Upitis and Meg Rotzel brought us three days of Performa, the New York-based performance art biennial.
We look forward to continue covering performance art on Big Red & Shiny.
