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Performance art might not be anything new – hell, it’s been around for three quarters of a century – but it still feels like art on the edges. Some of the great moments in performance art history involved scrolls being pulled out of genitalia or getting shot in the arm, and although these days it’s a little less violent and rarely so overtly confrontational, there’s still plenty to get your mind’s teeth into. And this weekend, some of the best contemporary art galleries in London are hosting a whole programme of performances across the city.
‘Performance Exchange’ sees 11 artists performing in 10 different venues. Paul Maheke, Amalia Pica, Heman Chong, Anna Barham, Darren Bader, Tim Etchells, Sadie Murdoch & Abbas Zahedi, Helen Cammock, Joel Kyack and Alice Gale-Feeny will be performing in a wide variety of ways; durational, choreographed, improvised, all sorts. Some of the events you have to book for, others are outdoors and others you’re free to just drop into.
If you’re perf-curious, it’s the ideal opportunity to figure out if it’s for you, and if you’re already a performance aficionado it’s the perfect chance to lose yourself in a whole bunch of new works by some top notch artists. And we’re pretty sure there won’t be a scroll or gun in sight.
‘Performance Exchange’ is at various venues Jul 9-11. Details here.
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