"The Meal" by Hidemi Nishida

Japanese environmental artist Hidemi Nishida created an installation and a related performance art piece featuring himself and fellow performance artists Sofie Jansson and Asa Shimada. Called The Meal, the delicate butoh-like performance explores themes of communication, connection, and awareness of small, daily moments in all of our  lives. Be sure to watch the video to see excerpts from this gentle, magical creation and to learn more about the concepts from the artists.

http://hdmnsd.com/2014/the-meal/

BEAUTY: Performance Art--Beili Liu

Chinese-born artist Beili Liu is just incredible. She works with unconventional materials like thread, water, salt, carbon, bread, and burning charcoal.

For her performance piece The Mending Project, she had gallery visitors cut off strips of cloth so she could sew them back together, working under hundreds of suspended Chinese scissors.

From her website:
"The installation consists of hundreds of Chinese scissors suspended from the ceiling, pointing downwards. The hovering, massive cloud of scissors alludes to distant fear, looming violence and worrisome uncertainty. The performer sits beneath the countless sharp blades of the scissors, and performs an on-going simple task of mending.

The overwhelming situation presented in The Mending Project is balanced and softened by the silent persistence of a simple mending action. The large quantity and intense force of the scissors elevate the confrontation between the objects and the performer. The installation/performance evokes urgency, concern, and fear, while simultaneously influence viewers through the calming and healing aura of the mending action.

As each visitor enters the space, one is asked to cut off a piece of the white cloth hung near the entrance, and offer the cut section to the performer. She then continuously sews the cut pieces onto the previous ones. The mended fabric grows in size throughout the duration of the performance, and takes over the vast area of the floor beneath the scissors."

The amazing piece alludes to the role of women not only in Chinese culture but in the world, the Sisyphean tasks of slave labor in Asia and elsewhere, and the strength and perseverance of those in such situations.

Liu now lives and works in Texas. Visit her website to see some truly remarkable installations.
http://www.beililiu.com/

BEAUTY: Performance Art--Ko Siu Lan

Chinese artist Ko Siu Lan engineered four different performance pieces that reflect the same theme: the ephemeral nature of certain materials. In each case, she hired delivery bicycles, a rickshaw, and a camel to ride around a selected city in either India or Indonesia, carrying rose petals, ice, cotton candy, or raw cotton. As the carts drove, wind or heat dispersed or melted the materials. Each piece was over when there was nothing left to deliver...

Below are still photos from All That Is Rose Melts Into The Air; All That Is Cotton Melts Into The Air; All That Is Sweet Melts Into The Air; All That Is Ice Melts Into The Air.

http://www.kosiulan.net/index.html

BEAUTY: Performance Art--Alessandro Sciarroni

Italian artist Alessandro Sciarroni creates theatrical/performance art pieces that include elements of avant garde dance and choreography. His newest piece, "Lucky Star," debuted last month. Inspired by Romeo and Juliet, it is a meditation on sameness, love, and, in Sciarroni's words, "to find another equal to oneself." Performed by identical twins Marco and Roberto Tarquini.

http://www.alessandrosciarroni.it/home.html