The Arts in New York City

The exhibition of Zhang Huan would seem very disturbing, if you are not comfortable with nudity. As for us–it was. Although it is true that we should understand these works are produced for artistic purpose, I still felt a bit uneasy watching the performance of My New York, in which hundreds of men and women–all naked–threw bread simultaneously at Huan’s legs , head, almost every part of his body. I found that performance to be masochistic and also uncomfortable to watch. Performance art is different from other kinds of visual art. Since it is called performance art, it involves performances conducted by the artist, and also participation of audiences (watching, or other actions). Huan chose to use body as a medium and he would let other artist friends of his to write texts on his body, or put rib cages on himself. My first taste of the performance art wasn’t too enjoyable. Yet, I think although there is something to be uneasy about, there is also something to be appreciated of. One thing about the artist I was really impressed of was that he would challenge his own physical limit for what he wants to show in his art works.