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RaiSinG HeLL: the PerFoRManCe ArT of DeNNiS OppEnHeiM |
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 An ArTisT is
BoRn...Don't be an ingnorant fool. You can't start to understand the art of Dennis Oppenheim without first getting some background info on this fabulous man, so don't just sit around scratching your head, read on.... Dennis has had a fruitful career as a conceptual and performance artist, but you gotta read this section to find out more. Come on... Although Dennis in not usually known as a puppeteer, he has used puppets as a form of performance art in some of his exhibits.Sounds interesting, ay? What are you waiting for? By this time, you'll be salivating for some more on Dennis, and you won't be disappointed with this page. |
Don't feel bad if his name doesn't ring a bell in your head. That's why you're reading this page: to find out more about this brilliant man. To put it simply, Dennis Oppenheim is one of America's finest and most creative conceptual and performance artists around. He first gained acclaim in the 1960s, as a pioneer in conceptual, earthworks, body art, video and sculpture. As if that wasn't enough, the man is still working on his art even as you read. His early work tended to focus on performance actions that focus on representations of human and animal bodies. These actions can often be seen as mesmerizing, confusing, and mysterious- but that's life, right? Today, these performances only exist in photo-documentation. But don't be discouraged, the site will bring those performances back to life (so to say). Having created important projects within the scope of Earth Art (in which he broke with the limitations of the museum and gallery), as well as Body Art ( in which he disordered the relationship between body and object), Dennis Oppenheim has explored new possibilities for the deconstruction of the object. He has done this through enlargement and caricature, producing hallucinatory scenarios with marked references to the Fantastic and to Post- Surrealist and Pop Art. He then began a period of fascination with mechanical installations. These mechanical constructions using motors and fireworks explore new sensory perceptions of the body and space, within the context of the dreamlike transformation of their functionality. Performance art plays a major role in Dennis Oppenheim's career. In his view, body art and sculpture are both transformations of performance art. Be Prepared to be completely blown off your feet by the amazing power that is the art of Dennis Oppenheim.
MeLiNda GonZaLeS. |
