or ‘The Processual of Daily Life through Expressions of Art’

*quote by Eva Hesse: “I would like the work to be non-work. This means that it would find its way beyond my preconceptions…It is the unknown quantity from which and where I want to go. As a thing, an object, it accedes to its non-logical self. It is something, it is nothing.” (Eva Hesse commenting on her show ‘Eva Hesse: Chain Polymers’ at the Fischbach Gallery, New York’, 1968, quoted by L.Lippard)
The essential quality of Hesse’s work might only be understood, when one is able to grasp what the appearance of performance art meant in art practise. That Hesse was able to transform that method that early gives her the position she has, before anyone could understand what she was doing.

In opposite to that, meanwhile there is some understanding for processual forms of change – though I am not quite sure if the broader mass, inclusive the press, who focuses on the ‘VIP’ sitting down in front of Marina Abramovic in her ‘The Artist is Present‘ show and performance. I also wonder, if one of the paparazzi, which now depict any of the celebrities, who make an ‘unpredictable’ appearance there, would recognize any other of her colleagues (than Ulay) sitting down in front of her.

The Artist is Present Marina Abramovic at the MOMA announcing: tomorrow last day! Certainly there was reason to follow the MOMA show of performance artist Marina Abramovic, but while I was sceptic in the beginning – also especially about her ‘The Artist is Present’ Performance during the entire duration of the exhibition, which seemed at first glance quite something similar to a replication of the ‘nightsea crossing‘ series (Abramovic reference at the moma site) she did together with Ulay in the 1980s. Finally now coming across the MOMA flickr pages for her daily work, I am quite impressed and think there are not many except Ulay – who spontaneously out of the opening crowd participated -, who might be able to understand what she is experiencing right now, and that it is also her unique energy and strength, which is enabling her to do this ‘labour of love’ – and the love is performance art, is life – is the moment of now.