Weekly Selfie: Simple Act of Performance - Leslie Ramirez

 

 Tidy Home, Tidy Life, Leslie Ramirez, 2024

Leslie Ramirez, Sweeping, 2024

Leslie Ramirez, Mopping, 2024

Leslie Ramirez, Shedding, 2024

My performance art is inspired by Mierle's Maintenance art and the importance of taking care of our home. I did not have a good weekend; I wasn't able to go anywhere for this week's selfie and I had to work with what I had in front of me. The performance is simple but for anyone who has a pet, it can be a nightmare. Pets can shed a lot of fur even if they have short hair. I have to make sure the floor is clean and brush my cat daily to prevent fur from building up. My sister and I can have bad allergies every now and then so it's important to keep our home clean. Even though it's frustrating when he creates messes, he's still a part of my family.

Yoko Ono - A Groundbreaking Artist, Activist, and Fighter behind the Myth of Her Name

1. “Staged in 1964, one of her most famous works was The Cut Piece, where the members of the audience were invited to cut off pieces of her clothing until she was naked, thus making an abstract commentary on discarding materialism and its impact on society.” 

• Yoko Ono’s Cut Piece performance showed humanity’s best and worst sides. Many people cut off a small piece of her clothing and were respectful towards her. Some men were more aggressive and cut large pieces or didn’t take the cloth. It’s a terrifying performance for the artist but she had to make a statement on gender-based violence.

2. “The pioneering conceptual artist, musician, performer, and activist, is now 82 years old. Recently, she stated in an interview that she felt like she was starting a new life, a second life. Either way, it doesn’t seem like she’s done with this one yet, and we can surely expect even more artworks from this prolific creator.”

• It is admirable that Yoko Ono continues to create art even though she could retire and spend the rest of her years in peace. Every piece of art or performance she makes feels like she wants to say something to the world.

Performance, Pedagogy, and Philosophy

1. “Somehow, I [don’t] recall ever being dissuaded [by the fact] that those “masters” were all dead white men. I found myself seeing these “great artworks” and believing I could achieve that.”

I think we can learn from old artists, but we can never become them. Artists have to start somewhere and develop their own art style that can be inspired by others.

2. “For a white student, particularly a young white student, seeing the mode of expression of an artist of color can shift as much of their worldview as it does for a student of color.”

Our culture and worldview can define our artwork and help artists create their art style. Many Latinx artworks are colorful, and abstract and show something that is a part of the artist's culture. As Shaun Leonardo said in the article, the Metropolitan Museum shows old art from dead white men and it’s good to look at artwork from POC to understand their viewpoint of their society.

Khan Academy Performance Art

Marina Abramovic “Silent Chair”

I think Marina’s “Silent Chair” is one of her tame performances but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t difficult. Some people have difficulty staying in one place or looking at someone in the eye. People say eyes are the window to the soul; it’s another form of vulnerability and Marina was able to show everyone who came to see her true self. When Ulay surprised her during the performance, you can see how much she missed him, and their silence spoke more than words could.

Mierle Laderman Ukeles, Cleaning the museum—maintenance art

I heard of Mierle Laderman a handful of times during art history, however, I never looked into her works. During her performance, Mierle scrubbed the metro museum steps and while that may not seem interesting for some people, I understand why she did it. Maintenance work is difficult and can go unnoticed by visitors. It’s labor many people do not want to do but someone has to do it.