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Elixir

„Ich werde diese Performance mit euch allen machen. Ohne euch gibt es keine Performance...“

shouts Christian Falsnaes (b. Copenhagen, 1980; lives and works in Berlin) at the beginning of his engaging performance, Front, shown at Art Basel Miami Beach in 2014. It is his relationship to the audience that lies at the core of his artistic practice. Falsnaes’s idea of performance revolves around participatory pieces where the spectators and the artist work in conjunction to produce an artwork. He and the various viewers who have helped him work with diverse media, including painting, collage, installation, and video. At the core of this dynamic relationship—between the artist and audience—are the rules, customs, and behavior that give rise to the result of the interaction. Themes of authority, submission, and uniqueness underwrite the unforeseeable and uncontrollable nature of his performances.

This monograph documents these varied actions and outcomes as well as contains short descriptions of the works from curators who were involved in them: Carson Chan, Anna-Catharina Gebbers, Jule Hillgärtner, Noemi Smolik, and Thomas Thiel. The artist’s interview was conducted by Aaron Bogart.