According to artist Marina Abramovic, what is the difference between Theater performance and Performance Art?

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According to artist Marina Abramovic, what is the difference between Theater performance and Performance Art?

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Let's lay out the question and all the provided answer choices clearly before diving into analysis.
Question: According to artist Marina Abramovic, what is the difference between Theater performance and Performance Art?
Answer options:
1) With a noble gesture and delicate propriety. Till one goes crazy. Till one loses consciousness.
2) In theater the props and body fluids are fake in Performance Art they are real. It's not theater, theater you repeat.
3) a time-based rather than permanent artistic gesture that has a beginning and an end
4) Involves an audience moving together to experience elements such as a band playing toy instruments, a woman squeezing an orange, and painters painting, and is repeatable.

Now, evaluate each option in turn, noting why it might be considered correct or incorrect based on commonly discussed ideas in performance art and Abramovic’s framing:
Option 1: 'With a noble gesture and delicate propriety. Till one goes crazy. Till one loses consciousness.' This option reads like a dramatic narrative about restraint and extremity, but it does not articulate a clear distinction between Theater performance and Performance Art in Abramovic’s terms. It blends vague notions of propriety and intensity without identifying the structural difference Abramovic emphasizes, so as a standalone distinction it is not a solid match to her stated view.

Option 2: 'In theater the props and body fluids are fake in Performance Art they are real. It's not theater, theater you repeat.' This choice asserts a sharp contrast focusing on the authenticity of props and bodily elements, plus a claim about repetition in theater. While there is critique of theatrical conventions in performance discourse, Abramovic’s distinction is more often framed around the nature of time, permanence, and intention rather than a literal claim about the authenticity of props or bodily fluids. Additionally, the phrasing 'the theater you repeat' is awkward and conflates multiple ideas in a way that does not clearly map to Abramovic’s core differentiation.

Option 3: 'a time-based rather than permanent artistic gesture that has a beginning and an end' This option points to a fundamental difference that is widely attributed in discussions of Performance Art versus traditional theater: performance art pieces are time-bound, performative acts or gestures that are not meant to be permanent, and they unfold with a defined start and finish. This aligns with a common scholarly framing of Performance Art as a temporal, ephemeral event, as opposed to static theater text or fixed stage pieces. It captures a core characteristic of Abramovic’s practice and the genre’s distinction from conventional theater.

Option 4: 'Involves an audience moving together to experience elements such as a band playing toy instruments, a woman squeezing an orange, and painters painting, and is repeatable.' This option describes an audience-engaged scenario with repetitive elements and specific activities. While audience participation can be a feature of some performance works, the description here emphasizes collective experience and repeatability. Abramovic’s differentiation does not hinge on audience movement or these particular activities being repeatable; moreover, the emphasis on repeatability is not the central axis of the theater vs. performance art distinction she is commonly associated with. Therefore, this option does not accurately capture the core distinction and is misaligned with her stated framing.

In summary, Option 3 conceptually captures the essential distinction that Performance Art is time-based and not permanent, with a beginning and an end, which is a widely recognized framing in discussions of Abramovic’s work and the broader field. The other options, while containing elements that touch on performance, do not coherently articulate the specific difference Abramovic highlights between Theater performance and Performance Art, and in some cases rely on mischaracterizations or ambiguous phrasing that do not align with her emphasis on temporality and the ephemeral nature of performance events.

ART 9C LEC A: THEMATIC... Quiz 1 - Lectures 1-8 - What is Art and What is Performance Art

According to artist Marina Abramovic, what is the difference between Theater performance and Performance Art?

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