Roselee Goldberg wants you to talk to her about performance art

Roselee Goldberg reckons we might be overthinking performance art. ​“It may seem confusing at first” says the art historian. ​“But once you give in to your own interpretation as being valid, you begin to enjoy what’s in front of you.”

Roselee would know – she’s devoted almost 50 years to paying homage to the stuff. Growing up in South Africa, she started off as a dancer before studying art history at the prestigious Courtauld Institute of Art in London. After graduating, she became director of the Royal College of Arts’ gallery, before moving to New York to become the curator of experimental institute The Kitchen, presenting works by Philip Glass and Cindy Sherman. Hell, she likes performance art so much she even wrote the book on it. Two in fact: Performance Art: From Futurism to the Present [1979] and Performance Now Live Art for the 21^st Century [2018].

In 2004, Roselee founded Performa, an interdisciplinary arts organisation in New York, famed for its three week biennial that exhibits the freshest, most boundary-breaking performance art every other year. To celebrate Performa turning 20 this month, the organisation held a gala in honour of two of its alumni: Tschabalala Self, who focuses on work exploring identity and the body, and Paul Pfeiffer, whose pioneering video installations and sculptures seek to challenge our perceptions of media and spectacle.

Hi Roselee. Let’s start with your dance background. How did it influence your interest in performance art later on?

Dance of various forms were a part of my life from a very young age. When I was around 12 years old, I began studying Bharatanatyam [a form of classical Indian dance] with a young Indian dancer in Durban. It strongly influenced my interest in performance art when I first moved to London and when I became director of the gallery at the Royal College of Art, in the early seventies. There, I showed Bruce McLean and Nice Style, The Kipper Kids, Marina Abramović, Anne Bean, Polly Eltes and more, as part of the gallery program. We had regular performances in the student common room and bar. It was great!

Did you read THE FACE?

Yes. I certainly read THE FACE when it came out in 1980 because by then I had moved to New York and wanted a dose of English style and irony! I loved the layout and the content – it captured the edgy side of the London art and fashion scene.

What made you put on the first Performa biennial?

I started the Performa biennial because I felt that the art and cultural world needed a radical biennial dedicated to performance art. I wanted to show its history, how central it was to 20^th century art – think the futurists, dadaists, surrealists, Russian constructivism, Oskar Schlemmer at the Bauhaus etc – and that if properly supported, it could become the most exciting and innovative art form for the future.

What’s special about New York and how does that feed into Performa?

New York is utterly addictive, even at its least pristine. Since covid it’s been a bit of a mess. But even so, there’s a concentration of people, ethnicities and sensibilities that somehow create an explosive energy that keeps it very special…radical. It’s a crazy place to live.

After 20 years, what are some of your proudest Performa moments?

There have been many commissions that take one’s breath away: works by Isaac Julien, Julie Mehretu, Shirin Neshat, Mike Kelley, Wangechi Mutu, Madeline Hollander and many, many more. I have to admit to being bowled over by some unexpected accolades such as Yoko Ono’s Courage Award or the French government’s Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, that have recognised Performa’s achievements.

What would you say to those who find performance art intimidating?

Talk to me! I’m happy to take you through the extraordinary history of performance and show you that it’s a lot less intimidating than you think.

You can – nay, should! – follow Performa here.