The term performance not part of the dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) . However, we could establish that this term is an anglicism that has been formed from the verb perform, which can be translated as “act or interpret”. The word, however, is very common to name certain show or stage performance that is usually based on provocation .
In the early twentieth century is where the origin of this type of artistic and cultural manifestation is found because it was then when certain characters linked to the futuristic movement creating trends betting on other peculiar ways of showing their ideas, their emotions and their way of understanding the art.
However, it would not be until the 1960s when performance begins to take on greater relevance internationally.
Among the many issues that can be addressed through these cultural manifestations, the ones that have played the most role throughout history have been love, fear, loneliness, the cruelty of the human being, nature, the evolution of the universe ... All of them have been shown and raised through acrobatics, painting, theater or choreography, among other alternatives.
A performance, therefore, tries surprise the public either for its theme or for its aesthetics. These types of actions are linked to the improvisation , he conceptual art and the happenings (artistic manifestations that contemplate public participation).
For example: “An amazing performance by the plastic artist amazed the visitors of the museum”, “The painter promised to perform a live performance, where he will create works with organic materials”, "The failed performance of the musician earned him numerous criticisms".
One of the most important characteristics of a performance is that it takes place in a specific place during a specific time. The performance takes place live and exists while the artist makes his proposal, unlike a exposition traditional.
Sometimes, the most important part of the performance is not its content, but the place where it takes place. There are artists who perform performances on public roads or improvise artistic manifestations in unpublished places for art , such as a supermarket or a video game store.
Many are the figures that are considered to have been able to become icons of the world of performance. However, among all of them, the German Joseph Beuys would highlight in a significant way who showed his artistic qualities by resorting to the use of elements such as animals, paper or straw, among others.
Nor should we overlook Hermann Nitsh, an Austrian artist who has achieved worldwide fame for the provocation of his works. And it is that they do not hesitate to include various ancestral rituals that are qualified as wild.
There are those who consider that flashmob They are performances, although they have no artistic intention. These are groups that launch an organized action in a public place, doing something unusual (such as a pillow war or a free hugs cast). Sometimes, the flashmob have a political purpose.
The notion of performance is also usually linked to performance : "The athlete had a great performance in the last competition".
