Performance art is one of the most controversial and discussed fields of art practice to emerge in the second half of the twentieth century, making an authoritative and accessible survey long overdue. The history of live or performance art includes many of the elements that the wider public finds most challenging in contemporary art practice: nudity, self harm, exhibitionism, violence, extended repetition, audience participation, gender issues, new technologies, and radical politics. Yet many of these elements have now also become part of the practice of many of today's best-known contemporary artists, while the boundaries between live art and dance, film, installation, and video art are increasingly hard to define.Drawing together the leading artists and critics in this field, this definitive volume assesses both the history and contemporary cultural reference of life art. Contributors include Peggy Phelan, Coco Fusco, Jon McKenzie, Tim Etchells, Yeon Kim, RoseLee Goldberg, and Peter Sellars. The book also includes archival material documenting the history of live art, and Hugo Glendinning's dramatic, full-color photographs of contemporary practitioners from around the world, including Franko B, Forced Entertainment, Goat Island, Moti Roti, Oleg Kulik, Stelarc and others. This is an indispensable volume for all those with an interest in contemporary art. Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005. For personal use only. All rights reserved.