2 Dimensional Performance (2009-2014)
2-Dimensional is a performance installation that explores the delicate relationship between the artist and the viewer. The performance artist, Igor Josifov, lays underneath a plexiglass box set into the floor of the space and is visible under the pedestrian track. As the public walks over the plexiglass box, they come into contact with the artist on a clear, 2-dimensional surface. At this moment, they express their own agency with respect to the work and simultaneously view the expression of the performance artist as he is being walked over.
The 2-dimensional became a cultural study that was performed in 8 different museums internationally: Opening the Modern Wing | Art Institute of Chicago, USA/ Museum of Contemporary Art, Skopje / Onassis Cultural Center, Athens, Greece / Abrons Art Center, New York, USA /Cite de la Mode Paris, France / MAI West, San Francisco, USA / Le Quartz within the festival Dans Fabrik, Brest (FR)
2-Dimensional
A performance by Igor Josifov
Opening of the Modern Wing at the Art Institute of Chicago
Igor Josifov’s performance 2-Dimensional ushered viewers into the Art Institute of Chicago’s Modern Wing and provided a critical transition for a new generation of artists. The inaugural opening for the Modern Wing catered to a younger generation with Young Modern, an evening reception complete with catering, dance floors, and complimentary drinks. Igor’s concept for this event was simple: to literally present the artist’s work in a space that was flat, inanimate, and disconnected.
The artist was dressed in a new tuxedo and his body lay in case. The case’s top platform was in-set with clear plexiglass and allowed for a full and complete view of the artist’s body, underfoot. The case was built into the doorway and led viewers into the Modern Wing from the museum’s original building. His head rested in the space of the newly constructed Modern Wing while his feet were, figuratively speaking, grounded in the past among more traditional works. Steps allowed viewers to walk over the artist and, in presenting such work in an unconventional and interactive context, allowed viewers to see the artist’s body in place of a material work of art. Finally, a split-screen on the other end of the platform allowed viewers to see the reactions side-by-side with the unresponsive face of the artist.
The work literally encased the artist’s body and created energy with viewers through the potential for direct engagement. Although the artist was visible and lucid, the case rendered the artist’s body intangible. Rendering the artist’s body under a clear platform alluded to concepts of objectivity, morality, and disconnection.
This installation was unique for an institutional context where most works are hung on a wall, displayed on a pedestal, or cordoned-o! from the viewer’s touch. Constructing the artist’s work under the art viewer’s path also reinforced conventions of the artist's role and function as inferior and decorative. The energy potential for this work yielded surprising results. The artist remained perfectly still in the case and connected with the eyes of each person who passed over the platform. This was a work of art that looked back at you. The response of viewers ranged from aloof to surprised. Passing into the Modern Wing, gentlemen escorted ladies quickly over the artist’s face while other women shrieked or giggled. Later in the evening, attendees were more adjusted or perhaps, influenced by the event’s revelry and festivities. Jealousy and lust took a more concrete form as men cursed the artist or stomped on the glass. Ladies posed for pictures with the artist underfoot, laughed hysterically as they flashed their legs open in stride and one woman intentionally threw her purse contents onto the case, revealing multiple openings in her dress. Despite all provocations, the artist remained fixed on the eyes of the individual.
This performance required minimal action from the artist. As a construction, the work revealed how ill-prepared an institutional audience is for art in unconventional contexts. The design of this installation also provided an energy potential that brought the behaviors and responses of the viewers directly into the light of the work of performance-raw, spontaneous, and unfettered. In a perfect example of psychoanalytic projection, the inhibitions, and insecurities of a high-brow, private art class became the focus of the work. The final result is a performance where the established art community communicates frivolity, trivial reactions, and an insubstantial resistance towards challenging, new work and necessitates a new era for the role of artists.
- Ryan Noble, Igor Josifov ‘2 Dimensional’ at the Modern Wing, Chicago, 2009 Performance Artist, Ph.D., Art therapist, Curator / Organizer
Igor Josifov performing 2 Dimensional at the Modern Wing - Art Institute Chicago, 2009
Opening of Modern Wing - Art Institute Chicago, 2009
Marina Abramovic participating at Igor Josifov’s 2 Dimensional performance
at the Opening of Modern Wing - Art Institute Chicago, 2009
Igor Josifov performing ‘2 Dimensional’ at the Onassis Cultural Centre in Athens, Greece - 2014
Igor Josifov - ‘2-Dimensional’ performance at Le Quartz - Scène nationale de Brest