Left Performance Histories
Recollecting Artistic Practices in Eastern Europe
Challenging the assumption that the unofficial art scene in state socialist Europe was only subversive and oppositional, this publication offers alternative readings. Left Performance Histories explores artistic positions that, while critical of actually existing socialism, were grounded in Marxist and communist ideas. Performance/art was not a mirror of tristesse but a site of jouissance, where social conventions concerning gender identity, sexuality and beauty were playfully undermined. But what do performances leave in their wake? And how should we situate their legacies in the context of archives, exhibitions and academic and artistic practice? These are some of the questions that this book sets out to answer.
Ed.: nGbK
Work group: Judit Bodor, Adam Czirak, Astrid Hackel, Beáta Hock, Andrej Mirčev, Angelika Richter
With contributions by: Kata Benedek, Judit Bodor, David Crowley, Adam Czirak, Constanze Fritzsch, Astrid Hackel, Beáta Hock, Jürgen Hohmuth, Roddy Hunter, Bojana Matejić, Andrej Mirčev, Angelika Richter, Heike Roms, Elske Rosenfeld, Branka Stipančić