Shot by a rifle, nailed to a car: the shocking performance art of Chris Burden
Performance art is arguably the most controversial form of artistic expression. Although the medium blossomed in the 1960s, performance art finds its origins in the early 20th century, arising from the practices of certain Dadaist and Futurist artists. Performance artists often focus on the relationship between the participant’s body and its surroundings or the audience, intending to elicit an intense reaction in the viewer.
Frequently labelled as pretentious, performance art often straddles a line between thought-provoking and unforgettable and downright lazy and uninspired. According to the artist Marisa Olson (via Artsy), good performance art “creates a mood and a moment to collectively take an audience to a space where we consider the edges of our expectations and our highs and lows.”
One artist that certainly achieved this was Chris Burden, who rose to prominence in the 1970s after consistently crafting highly shocking and controversial performances. Many of his works were concerned with his personal safety, or – rather – a lack thereof. Burden’s first significant performance, 1971’s Five Day Locker Piece, formed part of his master’s studies at the University of California, Irvine. He spent five days squashed inside a locker with just five gallons of water and a container to urinate in. Despite the school’s concerns for Burden’s safety, he was allowed to carry out the experiment.
By completing the performance, despite beginning to fear for his safety by the end, he established himself as a bold, fearless artist, testing the audience’s sense of morality and exploring his body’s endurance levels. That same year, Burden performed his most well-known piece, Shoot, in which he allowed his friend to shoot him in the arm. After seeing images of people being shot on television – both on the news and in movies – Burden was interested in experiencing the sensation for himself, communicating America’s fascination with weaponry. Believing the non-fatal shot would only result in moderate pain, he was shocked to discover that the bullet entering his body “felt like a truck hit my arm at 80mph”.
This didn’t deter the artist from taking risks and risking his mortality, although he asserted he was never suicidal. Rather, Burden was interested in pushing limits and forcing the public to reconsider what art could be. He hung himself upside in a gymnasium – completely naked – for Movie on the Way Down, fired shots at a passing plane for 747, and even stranded himself on an island with only some water for B.C. Mexico.
However, in 1973, he was arrested due to one of his performances, Dead Man, in which he pretended to be dead until members of the public called the police. Another of his most significant performances was TV Hijack, where, during an interview with Phyllis Lutjeans, he threatened to kill her with a knife if the television station stopped airing. Lutjeans knew that Burden, a friend of hers (her husband even filmed Shoot), would be performing, but she was unaware that she would be held at knifepoint. Still, she was not angry, insisting that he was a “gentle soul”, remembering him by saying, “Phyl, don’t worry” as he carried out the performance.
She continued: “To this day, my friends who are not in the art world say, ‘Oh, Phyl! How can you be friends with him!?’ And I didn’t view that at all like that. I viewed it as an artwork — now as a piece of his history — but at that time, it was another of his quite eccentric pieces.”
In 1974, Burden nailed himself to a Volkswagon Beetle for Trans-Fixed, remaining attached for a few minutes as the car was wheeled out of a garage. His friends were invited to watch, although they were unaware of what the artist would do. The performance was immortalised in a song by David Bowie, who sang about the daring stunt in ‘Joe the Lion’. Evidently, Trans-Fixed made quite the impact, although Burden’s intentions behind the piece are still debated. By emulating a crucifixion on a popular car, Burden took control of his own pain, suggesting that governmental and religious power can be manipulated.
These are just a few examples of Burden’s most prominent and shocking acts. He continued to push boundaries through performance and sculpture – his primary medium by the end of the decade. Burden died in 2015, yet he will forever be remembered as one of his generation’s most groundbreaking performance artists. Through his courageous acts, Burden redefined what art could be, forcing viewers to question their moral standings through his socially-conscious statements, using his body as an instrument.
