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M+, Hong Kong, © Tehching Hsieh
Tehching Hsieh 謝德慶
One Year Performance 1985–1986 一年表演1985–1986
1985
The entire artistic oeuvre of Tehching Hsieh consists of six performances, which the artist defines as his ‘lifeworks’. Hsieh carried out these performances with extreme rigour, establishing a set of rules and conditions and then adhering to them for an extended period of time—the first five of his performances lasted for one year and the sixth lasted for thirteen years. He adopted the aesthetics of administrative function, often incorporating elements like legal documents to emphasise the constraints he placed on his art and his life.
Following a series of year-long performances, Hsieh decided to disengage from art itself. In a statement of intent, he declared that he would not do, see, read about, or speak about art for one year. Hsieh had become a prominent figure in the New York art world of the 1980s, a position that added weight to his deliberate decision to disengage. A signedlegal statement and a promotional poster, similar to the ones produced for his earlier performances, are the only documentation or trace of this year-long piece. The seriousness and dedication with which Hsieh pursued his projects offer legitimacy and credibility to this one-year performance. Hsieh’s primary interest is passing time, and the paradox of making art by not making art, of acting with inaction, highlights his singular approach: a total blurring of artistic production and the act of living. Hsieh transforms anti-creativity, something perceived as negative in the art world, into a creative act.
Following a series of year-long performances, Hsieh decided to disengage from art itself. In a statement of intent, he declared that he would not do, see, read about, or speak about art for one year. Hsieh had become a prominent figure in the New York art world of the 1980s, a position that added weight to his deliberate decision to disengage. A signedlegal statement and a promotional poster, similar to the ones produced for his earlier performances, are the only documentation or trace of this year-long piece. The seriousness and dedication with which Hsieh pursued his projects offer legitimacy and credibility to this one-year performance. Hsieh’s primary interest is passing time, and the paradox of making art by not making art, of acting with inaction, highlights his singular approach: a total blurring of artistic production and the act of living. Hsieh transforms anti-creativity, something perceived as negative in the art world, into a creative act.
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