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In Her Shoes

She left these shoes behind and I was suffering so much from the loss of love that I said: “Now I am getting into her shoes.»

— Ulay

The intention was to explore and articulate his emotional suffering arising from his breakup with Paola Franca-Pizzo. He metaphorically tried to inhabit her shoes, physically altering himself in an effort to evoke her presence.

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Trademarks

In a time when everybody is talking about finding oneself, how do you find yourself? I wanted to do it as literally as possible. How do I prove that I'm concentrating on myself? I prove it by doing something physical. I can bite myself. I can burn the hair off my chest. The goal? Yes, I have a body. I have this thing that people call the self. Maybe I can change the self.

— Vito Acconci

Falling, conceptualizing the surrounding space, positioning in it — these actions allowed Acconci to claim his presence in space.

Acconci's approach to art stands out; he believes art isn't merely for observation or an object, prioritizing the viewer's role within his works. The spectator becomes central, engaging with the space housing the artwork. For Acconci, what matters is diminishing distances—the space one occupies, the interactions between artwork and space, space and spectator, artwork and spectator, spectator and artist. His fundamental idea lies in the notion that something doesn't become an object until it's utilized or interacted with.

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Mitchell's Death

So hungry, yet not hungry at all. Feels paradoxical. Eating and mourning. Tears and tuna fish. Pauline’s friends visit. We all drink champagne. His brother committed suicide in a closet in Canada. Did Mitchell? Guilt. Did I do it? My fault? Was he despondent? Lonely? Miss me too much? I remember my feelings when he moved to Kansas City. I was very apprehensive.

— Linda Montano

In this monochrome video, artist grieves the abrupt loss of her husband due to a firearm accident by meticulously recounting every aspect of her ordeal. Adopting a ritualistic approach, she narrates her tale in a steady, almost chant-like voice akin to Buddhist recitation, all the while with acupuncture needles punctuating her face. The amalgamation of these stylistic elements heightens the unsettling nature of the scene for the audience. Yet, Montano crafted this piece as a means to navigate and recover from her husband's loss.

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Balkan Baroque

The whole idea that by washing bones and trying to scrub the blood, is impossible.You can't wash the blood from your hands as you can't wash the shame from the war. But also it was important to transcend it, that can be used, this image, for any war, anywhere in the world. So to become from personal there can be universal.

— Marina Abramović

In this visceral performance, Marina Abramovic sits amidst a vast heap of bloody cow bones, meticulously washing them while singing folk songs from her youth. Titled "Balkan Baroque," the piece is a response to the scars of war in her homeland, the former Yugoslavia. Three video projections convey themes of violence and trauma.

The artist spends four days amidst 1,500 fresh beef bones, her dress increasingly stained by blood. The piece unabashedly confronts death's brutality and the body's grotesqueness, evoking an overwhelming response from viewers, almost consuming in its portrayal of violence and mortality. Despite the scene's magnitude resembling a mass grave, Abramovic skillfully retains a sense of grieving the individual amidst this immense portrayal of death.

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How to Explain Pictures to a Dead Hare

Therefore the stale and morbid nature of thought is once again made living. Honey is an undoubtedly living substance- human thoughts can also become alive.

— Joseph Beuys

Joseph Beuys's artistic oeuvre defies conventional boundaries, offering a canvas for boundless interpretation and the intertwining of multifaceted meanings. His renowned piece, "How to Explain Paintings to a Dead Hare," epitomizes this ethos. In this performance art, Beuys, adorned with honey and gold leaf, gently conversed with a deceased hare, inviting contemplation on the essence of communication and art's unconventional forms.

In a world that often values sharp clarity and distinct meaning, Beuys's art speaks a different language. It resonates with those who seek depth in the unknown, who relish the layers of interpretation woven within artistic creations.