Frieze Editors' Roundtable Highlights Performance Art Trends Across 2024 Events
The Facts
Frieze editors Chloe Stead, Vanessa Peterson, Marko Gluhaich, and Lou Selfridge convened a roundtable to discuss performance art trends in 2024, citing key works and events. Stead praised Young Boy Dancing Group's slippery-slide performance in Berlin for its raw physical stakes, while Peterson noted Nil Yalter's performance at London Gallery Weekend and the challenges of displaying live art in museums like London's Royal Academy. Gluhaich highlighted Joan Jonas's exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York for its sophisticated documentation and Ralph Lemon's performance program at MoMA PS1. Selfridge pointed to Fierce Festival in Birmingham and Keioui Keijaun Thomas's lap-dance piece as strong non-institutional examples.
The Signal
The roundtable reflects a growing emphasis on live performance's unpredictability and audience engagement in the contemporary art world. Editors argued that successful performance must contain stakes and uncertainty, as seen in Faye Driscoll's public piece at Rockaway Beach and Prem Sahib's parking-lot performance at Edinburgh Art Festival. This discussion signals that museums and galleries are increasingly investing in performance programming, though challenges remain in preserving the medium's immediacy within institutional frameworks.
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- Artists: Young Boy Dancing Group, Nil Yalter, Marina Abramović, Joan Jonas, Ralph Lemon, Keioui Keijaun Thomas, Faye Driscoll, Prem Sahib
- People: Chloe Stead, Vanessa Peterson, Marko Gluhaich, Lou Selfridge, Övül Ö. Durmuşoğlu, Ana Janevski, Lilia Rocio Taboada, Gee Wesley
- Galleries: Wehrmuehle
- Museums: Royal Academy of Arts, Museum of Modern Art, MoMA PS1, Walker Art Center, Raven Row
- Locations: Berlin, London, New York, Birmingham, Minneapolis, Edinburgh
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