John Court
John Court (b. 1969 in the UK, living in Tornio since 1997) is a duration performance artist for whom the time is one of the most important elements of his work. Sometimes that makes him performing for 8 hours, duration of a work day and sometimes performing the whole time the event is going on or the performance venue (museum, institution) is open each day.
More recently he has been interested in letting the objects and materials he uses in his performances to determine the duration of the piece. He doesn’t consider his performances solo works, since they always include collaborative elements from curators, organizers, artists, viewers, objects, spaces and time. Court’s works are sensible to the site and they often create a parallel rhythm within the rhythm of the site with the ongoing repetitious action. All his works are fundamentally concerned with drawing or writing, in that drawing connects the elements of line, movement, space and time.
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Willem Wilhelmus
In this world of enlightened heroes like politicians, sportsmen, terrorists, businessmen, gurus, famous artists and whatever trademarked darlings of global media, I like the small corners of performance art. I like to be busy with themes that are recognizable for everybody: the joys and fear of relating, the longing for and shying away from contact, the getting entangled in a swamp of emotions, desperately trying, getting lost in futile attempts for importance, the illusion of certainty.
My performances are based on trust in my body. I like its movements, its expressions, and most of all its downright honesty. Preparing for a performance means stripping away all kinds of illusion. The leftover is a need to add something, something else, something new to what life is offering me. I am amazed myself that time and again this is possible with the simplest materials.
Learn more about Willem Wilhelmus.