History of Disappearance

Live art from New York 1975-present. Work selected from the archives of Franklin Furnance

18 June 2005 - 4 September 2005
 
This exhibition drew on the wealth of experience of Franklin Furnace - a New York based arts organisation established in 1976. The show chronicles the transformation of live and performance art from a form that is temporary into one that is preserved. 


This was a rare opportunity to view documentation of a diverse collection of live art from the fertile time in avant-garde art history during the 70s, through the politically volatile time of the 80s, to the early 90s when artists began to use the Internet as an art medium. The exhibition comprised video footage, artists’ books, online works, artifacts from the archive and a newly commissioned wall painting which mapped the history of performance art.

History of Disappearance included works by a selection of major international artists including Patty Chang, Billy X. Curmano, Andrea Fraser, Karen Finley, Coco Fusco, Barbara Kruger, Jenny Holzer, Tehching Hsieh, Ana Mendieta, Linda Montano, Matt Mullican, Claes Oldenburg, William Pope.L, William Wegman and Britta Wheeler.

Digital Archive

Archive Catalogue

Library Catalogue