Performance of a Massacre, 2016
Performance of a Massacre, 2016
Performance of a Massacre, 2016. Performance view, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands, 2016. Photo by Ernst van Deursen.
2016
Performance
The artist had originally announced his plan to stage The Performance of Massacre at the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam on January 29th, 2016. However, the event was cancelled without explanation on the day it was scheduled to take place, causing great consternation at the museum. Instead, a panel of seven participants came together to engage in intense discussion and debate. Through alternating expressions of understanding and regret, they gradually revealed details concerning the nature of the failed performance and caused another performance to emerge slowly. The truth of what had actually happened never did come out in the various narratives, just as God is not supposed to appear in nature.