"There are no tyrannies that would not try to limit art, because they can see the power of art. Art can tell the world things that cannot be shared otherwise. It is art that conveys feelings."

 - Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine 

Jan Fabre

(c)Angelos bvba
T.Art, 1981
Performance , 01:00:00

7.5.1981
Saint Louis, Washington University

Fabre terrorises the position of the critic/philosopher in the art world. He symbolically tortures the philosopher Lars A. Mogensen with art attributes. The audience is so baffled that they call the police. 

 

'Visited the campus at Washington University.
And checked all the technical matters
in the auditorium for tomorrow.
Kept completely quiet about the content
and the actions.
Because no one knows anything.
I'm going to terrorise Lars Aagaard-Mogensen
with art materials. Until he confesses!
It has to be a physical attack on reationary
thinking about art.
An artistic reactionary act to expose the genuinely
reactionary thinking. You don't talk to a reactionary,
you unmask and chase him away.'

(Jan Fabre, St. Louis, 6 May 1981)

'Since humans do not by nature
tend towards modesty,
and I am a human too,
or at least display human features,
I would like to announce to the world that
my T.Art Performance was a success!
Success in the sense that
the intention of the performance was achieved.
During the performance, I suddenly changed
from public domain to public danger.
I was arrested, on stage, by two policemen
who put me in handcuffs.
It was a real kick.
I felt like a gangster and I was proud of it.'

(Jan Fabre, St. Louis, 7 May 1981)