Member of the month september: Kurt Johannessen

What makes you work with performance?
When I started working with performance, I was very much driven by the act of making art—the process. Performance then became a natural way in. Art is more of a movement than a thing, more of a verb than a noun.

Do you have any rituals before performing?
I just try to focus.

What was the best performance you have done so far? Why?
In 1988, I did a performance that I really liked afterwards, though I later realized that was a rather unfortunate way of thinking about it. Those thoughts stifled my creativity. Looking back, I can identify works that have been important to me, but it often takes a long time to see what truly matters. What proves significant are the works that open up paths into new spaces. But you can’t really use those thoughts about past works to find new paths.

Are you currently working on any performance?
I have a performance coming up in Poland at the end of October, but I’m not quite there yet. It’s okay to let it sit in the back of my mind for a while. Right now, I’m more immersed in a project where I’ll be launching a new book at KODE, Tekstallmenningen, Tag Team Studio, and Kunstnernes Hus between November 3rd and 6th. I’ll be giving various talks/performance lectures. That’s where my focus lies at the moment.

What advice would you give to someone who is interested in working with performance?
Perform. Do lots of performances. Learn by making art. Learn by being inside the art. Don’t be so concerned with understanding it. Work on something you enjoy. Find your own path, slowly. Working with art is more a journey inward than a journey outward.

Can you give us a few names of performance artists who inspire you?
When I was a student, I was deeply interested in Mark Rothko, though this did not influence my early work. I was inspired by Stuart Brisley’s physical works in the early 1980s. I appreciate many visual artists and other artists, but I draw most of my inspiration from other spaces, discoveries, and ideas.

www.zeth.no
@kurtjohannessen (no)
@kurtjohannessen2 (eng)